


Alucard, Trevor and Sypha Go To Hogwarts

by GlitterNyappyGacktRose



Category: Castlevania (Cartoon), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, 悪魔城ドラキュラ | Castlevania Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Half-Vampires, Hogwarts, Magic, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-08
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:47:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 30,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21679990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GlitterNyappyGacktRose/pseuds/GlitterNyappyGacktRose
Summary: The Castlevania trio are accepted into Hogwarts! Each of them have their own personal struggles which draws them closer to each other. Set in 1460s Hogwarts.
Relationships: Alucard/Trevor Belmont/Sypha Belnades
Comments: 22
Kudos: 80





	1. The Letter

Alucard followed after his father, Dracula, eagerly rereading the letter he had been sent by Professor Macha Ní Rioghain, the Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was difficult to say who had been the most surprised by the letter, but his father, who had initially been opposed to idea, was eventually won over by his mother, Lisa.

“Think of all the amazing things you could learn, Alucard,” she whispered in awe, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Imagine it! You could expand on everything I’ve thought you! A whole new world is opening right before your eyes. You can’t waste an opportunity like this!”

At first, his father had completely opposed the idea, insisting that he would not let him go. His distrust was immediately apparent as he ripped up the letter addressed to Alucard before he even had a chance to read it. Alucard overheard him muttering to his mother about how they must have placed their trust in the wrong vampire, as no one should be able to send letters to them. However, the following morning, another letter appeared, resulting in his father moving the castle to an entire new country. But even after that, another letter appeared, causing Dracula to consider the possibility that they perhaps were not dealing with a trap orchestrated by rogue vampires as he’d initially thought.

His arguments against Alucard going got gradually weaker and weaker. When it became apparent that magic really was involved, he’d suggested that perhaps one of the vampire hunter families had recruited magic users and were attempting to steal Alucard away to blackmail him. But when Lisa pointed out that this wizarding school called Hogwarts was mentioned in several books in his personal library, he began to falter, struggling to come up with another excuse.

“See here!” shouted Dracula, pointing at the bottom of the letter. “It says here that students may bring an owl, a cat or a toad. There’s no mention of swans at all. What will we do? Alucard will be devastated if he can’t bring his pet swan along! Won’t you, boy?”

“Not particu-“

“See? There are tears welling up in his eyes at the thought of it! You’ll see, these magic types are not understanding of our kind. Just watch: I’ll write and say that swans are an important part of vampire culture, and all of a sudden, they won’t want you to come!”

At this point, Alucard felt a twang of disappointment. Eventually he had been allowed to read his letter, but it didn’t make much sense to him. A school of Witchcraft and Wizardry? Was he capable of doing magic? However, his initial confusion over the letter began to change to curiosity, and, with the encouragement and support from his mother, it eventually turned to enthusiasm. But perhaps his father was right. This was a school for witches and wizards. What place did a half-vampire like him have?

A big place, apparently. Not a day had passed since Dracula had sent off his long letter of complaint when a reply appeared, just as mysteriously as the other letters. This time, it was addressed to Dracula, rather than Alucard. Both Alucard and his mother read over Dracula’s shoulder.

_Dear Count Dracula Vlad Tepes,_

_Thank you for your quick response._

_I can assure you that your son, Alucard, will be very welcome at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Our school boasts of its diversity, and welcomes those from all different backgrounds and heritages, including giants, muggle-borns (children of non-wizarding folk), veela, werewolves and, our most recent addition: vampires._

_As Alucard will be our first student of vampire heritage, we ask for your understanding and guidance, so that we can make the necessary adjustments to make your son feel at home. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your letter, and took note of all points relating to vampire culture. We will make adjustments as necessary._

_As for the swan, we will be able to accommodate your wishes. Please check your son’s letter once more._

_Kindest regards,_

_Professor Macha Ní Rioghain_

_Headmistress_

“Check your son’s letter?” read Lisa aloud, as though she was asking the letter to confirm what it meant. She wandered over to the desk and pulled it from the drawer, carefully unfolding it. With a gasp, the letter fell to the floor. Both Alucard and Dracula rushed over, their eyes darting as they read the new addition to the bottom of the letter.

_Students may also bring an owl OR a car OR a toad. Those of vampire descent may also bring a swan._

“Incredible!” whispered Lisa in disbelief. “I’ve never even heard of this kind of magic before… have you darling?”

To Alucard’s surprise, Dracula shook his head. He looked almost as impressed as Lisa, but there was still concern on his face. But at this point, Alucard, who had never seen anything as impressive in his eleven years on earth, was sold.

“WOW! How did she do that? Will I be able to do that? I want to learn magic! Can I go, Dad? Please please please please?”

Dracula and Lisa exchanged looks. Lisa smiled at Dracula. Her infectious smile spread to his lips and, slowly, he nodded his head.

*

All of a sudden, Dracula came to a stop. Alucard had been so engrossed in rereading the letter that he almost walked into him. They were standing outside of a pub called _The Leaky Cauldron_. Despite his father hiding his appearance with a long cloak, several people were shooting him odd looks. Together, the two headed inside the pub.

“I have come to bring my son to Diagon Alley,” announced Dracula in a booming voice upon entering the pub. The entire room fell silent. Alucard shrank with embarrassment: why couldn’t his father have just quietly asked someone? But to Alucard’s surprise, someone stepped forward and addressed his father: a man with long wavy black hair. There were several scars across his face, giving him the appearance of some kind of warrior.

“Another first year?” asked the man with a smile. “I’d be happy to help. I am Professor Oisín Mac an tSionnaigh, and I teach Care of Magical Creatures at Hogwarts. You can call me Oisín. I was just about to bring young Trevor here to get his wand. You could join us if you’d like.”

Alucard eagerly stepped forward, but his father put a hand on his shoulder, forcibly holding him back. It took a second for Alucard to figure out what was wrong. His father was glaring at the disheveled-looking boy standing behind Oisín. The boy didn’t even look up at the mention of his name. His long, ragged hair looked as though it hadn’t seen a trim in years, and his dirty and torn clothes gave the impression that Oisín had just pulled him out of a hole in the ground. However, when Alucard looked closely, he spotted a crest on the boy’s shirt that he had seen somewhere before.

“A Belmont,” hissed Dracula, clutching Alucard’s shoulder tightly. “This boy is a Belmont, a family of vampire hunters. I will not have you associate with his kind, Alucard.”

Alucard stayed silent. After all, what could he say? Trevor, the boy in the dirty clothes, glanced up. His eye’s met Dracula, and they widened with fear. He quickly looked at the floor again, hiding even more-so than he had been behind Oisín.

“Now, now, there’s no need to cause rivalry between the boys, we’ll have plenty of that when the Quidditch season starts,” laughed Oisín nervously. Even Alucard could see the fear in his eyes. “Well, let’s make haste! There’s a lot to be done! I’ll take Trevor to get his wand, perhaps your son would like to check out the book shop? There’s so much beyond what’s on the reading list…”

Oisín trailed off. But luckily for Alucard, his father seemed to have composed himself. He nodded silently and followed Oisín and the boy out a back door, not removing his hand from Alucard’s shoulder. Alucard had been eager to meet other students. But he knew better than to defy his father. Without a word, Alucard watched in awe as the bricks of the wall in the back began to magically move by themselves, revealing the breath-taking street behind it.

“Welcome to Diagon Alley,” smiled Oisín, pleased by everyone’s equally shocked expressions.


	2. Diagon Alley

Despite it being evening time, the street was bustling with witches and wizards of all ages. All around him, Alucard spotted kids that looked about the same age as him. Were they going to be his classmates? He looked over at his father, who seemed somewhat confused.

“Galleons… sickles… what is the meaning of this?” he asked, staring at the prices displayed in a nearby potions materials shops.

“Oh, that’s wizarding money,” replied Oisín, sounding relieved. “If you don’t have wizarding money, you can exchange your money at the bank over there. It’s a little small, but I’m sure they’ll be able to help…”

Oisín trailed off, clearly put off by Dracula’s displeased expression. However, his unease was short-lived as Dracula led Alucard away, leaving Oisín alone with Trevor. They stepped in the tiny single room bank, and were quickly seen to by a short, balding goblin.

“I presumed that the wizarding world would have a more impressive bank,” sighed Dracula, dropping several pieces of gold onto the counter.

“We’re expecting the bank to be completed in the next five years,” responded the goblin coolly, inspecting the gold closely with a magnifying glass. “Master Gringott does not cut corners. He intends to build the greatest and safest bank the wizarding world has ever seen. So until then, you’ll just have to be patient.”

Dracula wordlessly took the heavy bag of wizarding coins from the goblin and headed back outside with Alucard. Together, they picked up several sets of robes, all the required schoolbooks plus whatever books took Alucard’s fancy, a pewter cauldron and even a broomstick (the Nimbus 1000 really stood out against all the others). Finally, the only thing left was a wand, which, along with the broomstick, was the thing Alucard was most excited about. Alucard almost ran with enthusiasm towards the wand shop, with his father slowly following him. According to the sign, this wand shop was owned by the Ollivander family, who had been making wands since 382BC. Even Dracula was impressed by that. Together, they stepped inside the cramped shop, which was covered in shelves that had stacks of long boxes from floor to ceiling.

“Welcome to Ollivanders,” greeted a woman who looked to be at least one hundred years old. “I am Germanine Ollivander. I trust you are here to purchase your first wand? Might I ask about what wands your family- ah.”

Germaine Ollivander trailed off as she caught sight of the pair in front of her. She gave them a weak smile.

“My apologies. I assume this is your first time in Diagon Alley. Well, I can assure you that there are no other wands that are of as high quality as the wands we make here. We’ll find a wand that best suits your son, don’t you worry. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you to please wait outside-"

“I’d like to take a look at the wands myself,” interrupted Dracula coldly.

“Ah, well, I’m afraid to say that your opinion would be of little importance,” responded Germaine Ollivander, not intimidated in the slightest. “The wand chooses the wizard, you see. It is essential that your son approaches the wands with a clear mind, with no clouding of judgement-"

Bang. Suddenly, Dracula dropped some coins on the counter before heading straight to the door.

“That should be enough to cover the wand,” he hissed. “I’ll meet you outside, Alucard.”

And with that, Dracula dramatically slammed the door. Germaine Ollivander continued as though nothing had happened. She began taking measurements of Alucard’s arm, before offering him some wands to try. However, Alucard barely had a chance to hold them before they were snatched out of his hand again. Just as Alucard felt that something must be wrong with him, a box from the top of one of the shelves shot out with such speed that it was though it had been pushed. Germaine Ollivander smiled broadly.

“That was no coincidence, young Alucard. This wand must really… curious… how curious…”

Alucard’s eyes widened as Germaine Ollivander closely examined the wand with a slightly puzzled expression.

“Albino redwood with a thestral tail hair core. Eleven inches. How strange… this is perhaps made from one of the rarest trees in existence… and with such a rare core too… Personally, I find thestral tail hair difficult to work with, but my grandfather favoured it. Yes, this is clearly his work. I was going to say that this wand predates you and even your father, but I would be mistaken in saying so, no?”

Alucard shuddered. How could she tell that his father was no ordinary mortal? Did she know who he was? Alucard silently took the wand from Germaine Ollivander and instantly felt his arm grow warm. Ollivander stared at him with sad eyes.

“Yes… this is the one. But with such a core… Tell me, boy. Have you ever lost someone very close to you?”

“No?” responded Alucard, sounding very worried. Was getting a wand supposed to be like this?

“Thestrals are creatures that only appear to those who have witnessed death,” explained Ollivander. “Now, that’s not to say that your wand carries that particular meaning. It’s just curious to find a match for such a rare and unusual combination. However, fear not, I will not charge you extra for this. It has been collecting dust for well over a century. Now, hurry. I’m sure your father is eagerly waiting your return.”

Alucard thanked Ollivander, gathered up the wand and the remaining coins and hurried out of the shop. He almost ran into his father, who was standing right outside the door with a big smile on his face. In his left hand was a covered cage.

“Alucard!” beamed Dracula cheerfully. “You won’t believe what I just found! The shop over there sells bats, so I bought you one. I’ve been meaning to get you one for a while now, so I couldn’t pass up this chance. You can take it to school with you!”

Alucard was about to point out that he already had the swan, but he didn’t want to spoil his father’s good mood. He could tell that he felt bad about flying off the handle in the wand shop and that this was his way of making it up to him. But most of all, Alucard didn’t want his father to notice that Trevor, the boy from earlier, was standing alone behind him, counting a few copper-coloured coins that he had taken out of a brown envelope, his brown furrowed in concern.

“Thanks, Dad, I’ve always wanted a bat,” smiled Alucard. “Oh, can I get something to eat? It’s been a long day.”

And so, the two headed back towards the Leaky Cauldron, Alucard distracting his father with questions the entire way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe this. Gringotts is the only bank in the wizarding world (as far as I'm aware) and it opened in in 1474. When I was reading the series, it seemed ancient. But this story is set in the late 1460s. I wonder what muggle-born witches and wizards did before Gringotts opened? Anyway, since the dates are pretty close, it seems plausible that the goblins would have a temporary bank. 
> 
> Anyway, to chapter 3 (where more hurdles await!)


	3. Farewell

The few days before term started passed in a flash. Alucard rose late and spent the afternoons wandering Diagon Alley by himself, since his father was unable to join him in the sunlight. He spent most of his time checking out the shops, reading extracts out of books that caught his eye and checking out the merchandise for all the Quidditch teams (he quickly learnt that Quidditch was a wizarding sport played on broomsticks). Alucard had wanted to try reach out to other new students but he found that as soon as he’d plucked up the courage to approach someone, he’d take a detour and run off before even giving himself a chance to speak. On one particular occasion, he found himself wandering down a new alleyway labelled “Knockturn Alley”. After taking a few steps, Alucard instantly picked up that the atmosphere of this very different to Diagon Alley: the streets were poorly lit despite the sun still being out, and the products displayed in the windows seemed like the kind of things that decent people would not be interested in: a severed hand that offered light only to the holder, a necklace that cast a curse upon anyone who tried to wear it, a quill that brought disease to anyone who tried to write with it and much more that he couldn’t see from where he was standing. Although curious, Alucard decided that it would be best not to wander this kind of area alone. But just as he was turning around to leave…

“Your kind isn’t welcome here.”

Alucard tried to pass by the ancient wizard with the long greasy hair who had spoken to him, but he wouldn’t let him. Without warning, the man pushed Alucard to the ground with one hand, the other grasping a mysterious looking package. But before Alucard could get to his feet, the man had already drawn his wand.

“Thought you lot would burst into flame in the sun. But I guess Knockturn Alley has enough shadows for you scum to wander. This’ll teach you!”

Without a word, the man slashed his wand through the air. Alucard let out a gasp as he felt as though a hot knife was slicing through his arm. He looked down in horror to find that a deep gash had appeared on his left forearm that was already oozing blood. He tried to stand up again, but with a flick of the man’s wand, he was back on the ground. His shaking hand reached for his pocket, but his heart sank when he remembered that he’d kept his new wand safe in its box in his room. Besides, it’s not like he knew any spells he could fight with anyway. He had no other choice.

The sudden change came as a bit of a shock to the man. One moment, there was a young pale boy cowering on the ground in front of him. In the next, a growling wolf was leaping through the air at him. Instinctively, the man put up his hand to defend himself. He didn’t even have the time to think of a suitable spell to cast. Once he’d come to his senses, the wolf had already rushed out of Knockturn Alley. It was only when it was out of sight did he notice what he was missing.

Alucard ran as fast as his four legs would carry him. It was only when he was back in Diagon Alley did he change back, panting and quivering from fear. Luckily, it seemed that no one had noticed anything. He took a deep breath before he carried on running, eventually choosing a potions supplies shop to hide inside. It seemed as though the man either hadn’t followed him, or didn’t know where he’d went. It was most likely the second option, since most wizards would rather not be without their wand. Alucard had tried to snatch it in order to protect himself. However, it was only once he’d caught his breath did he realise that he hadn’t in fact taken the man’s wand. Instead, he was holding the strange package that the man had been carrying. He’d accidently torn it with his teeth when he’d snatched it. Inside it was… a cloak.

Alucard couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed. Considering the few things he’d spotted in the shop windows, a cloak was nothing to get excited about. Perhaps the cloak would bring misery to whoever wore it? Alucard wasn’t too interested in keeping the cloak, but at the same time, he didn’t want to head back to that area so soon. Perhaps he could return there later with his father and drop it while he was distracted? But now was not the time: it was getting close to sunset, and Alucard didn’t want his father to spot the wound on his arm. If he knew that there were already wizards acting hostile towards him, perhaps he wouldn’t let him go to Hogwarts.

As quickly and as quietly as he could, Alucard snuck back into their shared room in the Leaky Cauldron. Since he didn’t have anything better, he wrapped his bleeding arm with some parchment. However, just as was finishing up, he heard his father’s voice.

“Alucard? Is that you?”

Almost jumping out of his skin, Alucard yanked his sleeve down over the parchment, Without thinking, he shoved the package into his trunk. It was too late for him to hide it on his person. He spun around, trying not to look flustered. However, his father didn’t seem to have noticed. Instead he was smiling, a letter in his hand.

“This came this morning. It’s from your mother. I hope you don’t mind, I had a read of it myself…”

“No, not at all,” responded Alucard, hoping that his father couldn’t hear his heart pounding. He took the letter from it and was greeted by the familiar elegant handwriting of his mother.

_My darling Alucard,_

_I apologise for not being able to join your father in bidding farewell to you in person. Mrs. Munteanu seems to have taken a turn for the worst, so it is crucial that I observe how the medicine affects her body._

_Your father has told me about how well you’ve been adapting. I was so excited to hear about your wand! Just think Alucard: these are the first steps of the beginning of your life in the wizarding world. Perhaps you are nervous, afraid that you won’t be able to keep up with the others. But remember: everyone had to start somewhere. In no time at all, I’m sure you’ll be able to perform all types of magic: tell me all about it in your letters!_

_I’m aware that you may travel home for the winter holidays. Although that is mere months away, I already miss tucking you in at night. Make sure that Untitled Swan wears its coat in the winter. And more importantly: take care of yourself!_

_I’m so proud of you, Alucard. You never cease to amaze me._

_Lots of love,_

_Your Mother_

Alucard looked up from the letter to his swan that had been roaming free around the room for the last few days. He gave a guilty smile, before putting the letter back in its envelope and carefully placing it in his trunk. He hadn’t intended to give that name to the swan. He had received it from his parents one as a birthday gift. Attached to its cage was a card that read _Name_. Without really thinking about it, he’d scribbled “Untitled Swan” on it and gone to sleep, intending on coming up with a name in the morning. However, he awoke the following day to find that his mother had stayed up all night embroidering his “chosen” name for the goose into a beautiful handmade coat. Unable to admit that it had been a misunderstanding, Alucard decided to stick with that name. In fact, he wasn’t particularly fond of swans either. But his father had purchased one for him, recalling the story that they used to read together when he was four. The Children of Lir: a story of four children who are turned into swans by their wicked stepmother. Perhaps he should have named his swan after one of the children? But alas, it was too late for that.

“Alucard, there’s something I have to ask of you.”

Alucard was pulled away from his train of thought to find that his father was standing in front of him. He seemed somewhat uncomfortable.

“As you are aware, students must meet at 9¾ Draíocht Place tomorrow morning in order to travel to school. Initially, your mother intended on joining us, but due to Mrs. Munteanu‘s condition, there have been some last-minute changes. However, your mother is not aware that you’ll be leaving in the morning. So…”

“Don’t worry, I won’t mention it to her,” responded Alucard helpfully, making his father smile somewhat sheepishly. Alucard knew that his father would rather not leave him alone at a time like this, but with his limitations due to sunlight, there was no other way around it. Albeit slightly nervous, he decided to keep quite so as not to upset his father. After all, there really was nothing he could do.

“Alucard, I spotted a delightful little restaurant that offers the most interesting-looking Egyptian dessert,” said Dracula, his smile back once more. “Since I won’t get to spend your birthday with you, how about we celebrate it early?”

Alucard couldn’t turn down a good dessert. And so, the two headed to the restaurant, Alucard eagerly digging into his honey-sweetened bread that had been cooked on a hot stone. Like most the food he had eaten since coming to London, it was unfamiliar. But he was eager to keep trying more. He felt his father’s eyes on him as he devoured the dessert. In fact, he could feel his stare the entire evening as they wandered through Diagon Alley together for the last time. Although he didn’t always express it clearly, Alucard knew that his father truly did care about him.


	4. The Sorting Ceremony

The following morning, Alucard awoke not long after the sun had risen. He tossed and turned, unable to get back to sleep. All of a sudden, he felt as though he was being watched. He sat bolt upright to find his father sitting on the end of his bed.

“Dad?”

“Sorry, Alucard. Did I wake you?”

Alucard rubbed his eyes, squinting at the outline of his father in the darkness.

“The sun’s already up. Why are you still awake?”

“Go back to sleep.”

With his journey beginning in no more than a few hours, Alucard felt that falling back asleep would be impossible. However, to his surprise, he managed to drift off once more. He only awoke to the sound of his father’s voice.

“Alucard, it’s time for you to get up. It’s already ten and I think you should be a little bit early.”

Alucard rubbed his eyes groggily before taking the bread that his father was offering him. Had he really managed to sleep for so long? There was no time to waste: Alucard wolfed down the bread and quickly got changed into his robes.

“Alucard, your hat is wonky,” laughed Dracula, helping him fix it. Then his eyes grew sad. “You know, I’m very proud of you. You’re going to learn so much at school. But I’ll really miss having you around…”

“I’ll send you letters, I promise,” responded Alucard, feeling a little bit uncomfortable. He was unaccustomed to seeing his father like this. With a smile, he pushed his trunk from his room (his mother had the bright idea of adding wheels to it, making it much more manageable to move around), waving goodbye to his father with his free hand before emerging into the sunlit street.

It didn’t take Alucard long to find Draíocht Place. After all, his father had spent the night before going over it with him using the map he’d received from the bartender of the Leaky Cauldron. The issue, however, was that while 9 Draíocht Place and 10 Draíocht Place were standing right in front of him, but 9¾ Draíocht Place was nowhere to be seen. He wasn’t the only one who seemed to be confused though. Standing in front of the two tall houses was none other than Trevor, the boy from the other day. He was literally scratching his head, looking utterly baffled.

“Do your family really kill vampires?” blurted out Alucard. He’d intended on asking him if he knew how to get to 9¾ Draíocht Place, but he accidentally asked what had been on his mind for several days. Trevor jumped, having not realised that he was no longer alone.

“Well, we do have that history…”

“Do you want to kill me?”

“Not really, no. I’ve never killed a vampire… Your father really is Dracula, isn’t he? Does he want to kill me?”

Alucard took a second to respond.

“He is and…honestly… I don’t know…”

The two stared at each other for a little while. Eventually Trevor broke the silence.

“So… do you have any idea where we’re supposed to be going?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

The two spun around at the sound of a new voice. Behind them, a girl with short wavy hair and blue robes was smiling confidently. She stepped past the two of them, right up to the two houses.

“It’s 9¾ Draíocht Place, right? This is 9 Draíocht Place, and this is 10 Draíocht Place, so 9¾ Draíocht Place must be… here!”

With that, the girl punched the wall. However, to everyone’s surprise, her hand went right through it, as though it wasn’t there. The girl gave a triumphant smile.

“See? I told you it’d be here. You just have to use logic. My name is Sypha by the way. Sypha Belnades. And did I hear you right? Am I correct in assuming that you are the son of Dracula and you a vampire hunter? What an interesting combination of people…”

It’s not as simple as that,” began Trevor. “But yes, my family were vampire hunters. My name is Trevor.”

“And I’m Alucard,” added Alucard, hoping that Sypha didn’t have other questions about their families. Luckily, she didn’t have time to ask because as soon as they stepped through the invisible barrier, they found themselves inside the entranceway of a large house. Within seconds they were greeted somewhat coolly by an old wizard wearing a cloak.

“Floo or portkey?” demanded the wizard, his gaze focused on a piece of parchment.

“I’m sorry, what?” asked Sypha.

“Floo or portkey?” he repeated, sounding more impatient.

“The first one?” suggested Trevor.

“Right, this way. Leave your luggage over there”

They were pushed into a queue that led into the parlour. In front of them were dozens of witches and wizards of all ages: some were around the same height as them, all in a queue to get to… a fireplace? Alucard craned his neck to see what was happening. One by one, the students were taking something out of a pot, stepping into the flames and shouting “Hogwarts” before being engulfed by the flames and vanishing.

“Wow, they just disappeared!” exclaimed Trevor, sounding both shocked and amazed.

In front of them, an older student let out a snort. She turned around, a smirk on her face.

“Have you seriously never travelled by Floo powder before?” she sneered. “Wow, the types of people they’re letting into this school…”

“Well, are you going to make fun of us for not knowing, or share your ever so deep knowledge on the topic?” Sypha snapped impatiently. Alucard’s jaw dropped: had he been on his own, he probably would have just looked at the floor and perhaps muttered “fuck you” under his breath.

Sypha’s quick response seemed to take the older student by surprise, resulting in her actually explaining it.

“It means travelling from fireplace to fireplace,” she explained, sounding a little awkward. “You take a pinch of Floo powder, step into the flames, then say “Hogwarts” as you throw the powder down into the flames.”

“That doesn’t sound too complicated,” said Trevor, moving closer to the top of the queue. “I think it should be… Alucard? Are you ok? Alucard!”

Without warning, Alucard fell to his knees, his face pale and body shaking, the green flames of the fire dancing in his eyes, He was sweating, his heart pounding as he was overwhelmed by a strange feeling of dread.

“Hey, what’s the hold up?” shouted an angry voice from the back of the queue. Just as more students started to complain, both Sypha and Trevor pulled Alucard up by his arms and pulled him away from the crowd. Eventually, they found themselves back in front of the old wizard, who cocked an eyebrow at the sight of them.

“Actually, we want to go for the other option,” explained Trevor, to which the wizard just sighed and waved them towards a closed wooden door. After passing through it, they found themselves in an almost deserted courtyard.

“Ah, so you’ve decided to go for the portkey? Quite the adventurous bunch, it seems. You’re first years, aren’t you?”

The contrast to the old wizard was astounding. Here, they were greeted by a young witch wearing a colourful scarf and a huge grin. She quickly explained how portkeys worked, and how it would take them straight to Hogwarts.

“You’ve definitely picked the better option,” she assured. “With the Floo Network, you have to concentrate. But with portkeys, they do all the work. Speaking of, it’s almost time. Here, all of you grab this. Make sure you’re all touching it!”

She handed them over a small comb before heading over to a group who had just walked in. Since it was so small, the three of them sandwiched together so that they could all keep a firm grip on in. while she had insisted that even just touching it with a fingertip would suffice, none of them wanted to leave it to chance.

The waiting made Alucard’s nerves get worse. He anxiously looked at the others, not sure of what to expect. However, he knew that he’d rather deal with the portkey then go back to the other room…

Without warning, Alucard felt as though he’d been knocked off his feet. Beside him, Trevor let out a shout of surprise. They were twisting and turning, their bodies bumping into each other and their hair billowing in the wind. And just before it could become too much to bear, they collided with solid ground.

“Ah, I see you’ve made some friends, Trevor! Good to see you again!”

They were greeted by none other than Professor Oisín Mac an tSionnaigh, the care of Magical Creatures teacher who had shown Trevor around Diagon Alley. Trevor bounded forward, eager to see a familiar face. Alucard however held back. Were these people his friends now? He glanced around and realised that they were in front of a giant lake, its surface sparkling under the slightly overcast sky. All around him, students were clambering into the many boats that were awaiting them, seemingly eager to sit with their friends. Alucard caught the eye of one boy in a boat who quickly took his hat off to cover the empty space beside him. With a sigh, Alucard re-joined Trevor and Sypha. He had hoped that he’s be able build his confidence and make dozens of new friends. However, for now, sticking with familiar faces seemed like the easiest thing to do.

“The boats will move by themselves in the next twenty minutes or so,” explained Oisín, just as Alucard climbed into the boat after Trevor and Sypha. “We just have to wait a little longer for the rest of the students to arrive.”

Alucard squished himself over to the side as much as possible in order to make room for one more person. Perhaps there was someone who was completely alone who could do with the company? But it appeared after several minutes that no-one would be joining them. With a sigh, he turned his attention to the conversation that Sypha and Trevor were having in front of him.

“Well, my people have been casting magic without wands for as far back as the tales go,” explained Sypha. “So, I’m intrigued to see what different types of magic I’ll be able to produce with one. My wand is willow with a core of dittany.”

“The wandmaker told me that my wand’s core is very rare,” said Trevor, a look of slight pride on his face. “It’s made with vine and its core is thestral tail hair-“

“Hang on,” interrupted Alucard, pulling his wand out of his pocket. “Ollivander said the exact same to me, and we both have the same core! Thestral tail hair, made from albino redwood. Does that mean… do you think she was lying about them being rare?”

Trevor was not happy to hear this. Almost too enthusiastically, he whipped out his wand, putting it next to Alucard’s.

“Well, mine is rarer, because it's bigger!” he half-shouted, clearly unhappy.

“No it isn’t!” protested Alucard. “You’re not measuring them from the same point!” If you just did it properly, you’d see that mine is clearly bigger!”

“No way, mine-"

“Might I remind you that my wand is the biggest?” smirked Sypha, laying down her wand beside the other two with pride. For some reason, Trevor’s face turned bright red, and he turned away from them, spending the next few minutes sulking in silence. However, he quickly forgot his bad mood and gasped in amazement when the boats suddenly sprang into life. They guided them across the lake as though they were being pulled by an invisible rope. Around them, students were pointing at the castle, impressed by its size. Even Alucard, who’d grown up spending lots of time in his father’s castle had to admit that there was something truly magical about it.

Before long, they found themselves at the other side of the lake. Oisín urged the students to follow them and wait for the sorting ceremony to start. Within minutes, they were all standing in a corridor, waiting to be told what to do next. It was at that point that the whispering started, as the students shared rumours of what the sorting ceremony would entail. The rumours ranged from having to pull a rabbit out of your hat to having to brew a difficult potion without being able to check the textbook. One boy insisted that his brother’s year had to slay a dragon, and that several students had been eaten. Alucard felt his palms sweating: were they really expected to be able to perform magic already? Had there truly been a mistake in his receiving his letter? But before he could discuss his fears with Sypha and Trevor…

“Mister Tepes! Mister Tepes!”

Every single student turned to see two teachers rushing towards them. One of them was a motherly-looking woman who was dressed in white robes. The other was an attractive man with blond curly hair and high cheekbones, wearing a set of violet robes. The man was the first to speak, and he did so in a booming voice that was brimming with self-assurance.

“Madam Poppy, as the Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts and author of several books on the topic, I can assure you that a vampire would have surely burnt to death in… half an hour – that’s how long they were outside, didn’t you say? So surely a half-vampire would have at least suffered some serious burns-"

“Professor Einskis, that is enough,” snapped Madam Poppy. Once she spotted Alucard, she put her arm around him. “Come with me, Mister Tepes. We need to make sure you’re ok. Come now, to the hospital wing…”

Before Alucard had fully comprehended what had happened, he was already sitting on a bed, the whispers of “vampire?” from the other students still ringing in his ears. It was only when the curtain around the bed was pulled shut did he come to his senses.

“I’m able to walk around in the sun!” insisted Alucard, as Madam Poppy put her hand on his forehead. Madam Poppy was not convinced.

“You’re very pale, Mister Tepes. You’re shaking and you have a slight fever. I don’t think that this is a coincidence. But it’s nothing to be ashamed of. We’re here to help you-"

“I can’t believe the Headmistress overlooked this quite significant detail!” came to voice of Professor Einskis from beyond the curtain. “She was so careful not to offend when she sent out those letters, and yet she didn’t think of changing the time to-"

“Personally, I think that the traditions of this school should not be broken just to suit one student,” came a drawling voice that Alucard hadn’t heard before. That was enough for Madam Poppy. She ripped open the curtains, one of the veins in her forehead looking ready to pop.

“Gentlemen,” she snarled, her back to Alucard. “Might I remind you that this is a hospital wing and not a debate hall? This is a place for sick students to rest. You have no right to disturb them. And Professor Snark, have you finished brewing that dreamless sleep potion that I have been requesting for the past week now?”

Alucard looked past Madam Poppy to discover that yet another teacher had joined them. This teacher wore jet black robes that matched his curtains of greasy black hair. He turned his hooked nose up at Alucard before responding.

“Madam Poppy, the art of brewing potions is one that takes time and patience-"

“And would I be correct in assuming that your presence is not needed to brew them, since you are here disturbing my patients?”

“I’ll have you know-"

“Enough.”

Once again, they were joined by another, this time a woman. However, with just that single word, the entire room fell silent. Alucard craned his neck to get a better look: in the doorway stood a tall witch with long black hair that was streaked with white. When she drew closer, Alucard realised that her emerald robes matched her twinkling green eyes.

“Welcome to Hogwarts, Mr Tepes,” the witch smiled. “You’ve heard from me before. I am Professor Macha Ní Rioghain, the Headmistress here at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I apologise for your arrival being so turbulent, and I assure you that things do not usually follow that pattern at this school. And just in case there has been any confusion, I can assure you that the safety of our students is our top priority. Please forgive me for the lack of proper consideration for your arrival, and I assure you that it will not happen again. Now, teachers, please join me in the Great Hall. The sorting ceremony is about to begin. Mr Tepes, Madam Poppy will take good care of you. Please cooperate with her.”

With that, everyone but Madam Poppy left, leaving Alucard feeling somewhat dazed. He couldn’t even protest as Madam Poppy carefully checked him for burns, feeding him various plants and remedies to make sure that he was in good health. When she was finally satisfied that he’d rested for long enough, she led him to the Great Hall, opening the heavy wooden doors for him with her wand.

To Alucard’s horror, the door opened with an almighty creak, causing the hundreds of students that were seated at the four long tables to turn around and stare. Trying his best not to pay any attention, Alucard hurried to the front of the hall, where the rest of the first years were gathered around a boy who had an old hat on his head. Without warning, the hat shouted out “Hufflepuff” and the room erupted into applause. The boy smiled before running over to the table that was decorated with yellow and black.

“Tepes, Alucard Adrian Fahrenheit.”

Alucard’s heart almost stopped. Was it his turn already? What did they expect him to do? Realising that even the teachers were staring at him at this point, Alucard hurried to the front and took a seat on the stool that the boy had been sitting on. Apparently, this was the right thing to do, as the hat was lowered onto his head. He noticed people craning their necks to look at him and whispering to each other before the hat obscured them from view.

“Interesting, very interesting, you’re definitely the first of your type to enter this school.”

Alucard jumped. At first, he thought one of the teachers was speaking to him, but he eventually discovered that the voice was coming from inside his head. Or was it? It slowly dawned on him that the hat could speak.

“I see a lot of potential here. A quick learner, no doubt, and very capable indeed. But the question is, where do your loyalties lie? Hmm… you definitely have the potential to take matters into your own hands. But you can’t deny that side to you cannot be hidden away. Best to go with… Slytherin!”

Alucard felt the hat being pulled off his head. Having been caught up in all the staring, he’d failed to realise that it was Professor Einskis, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher who’d put the hat on him in the first place. With a smile, he pointed Alucard towards the table decorated with green and silver. Alucard hurried past the other students, but not before he caught a snippet of their conversation amongst the remaining first years.

“Of course he got put in Slytherin.”

What was that supposed to mean? Alucard sat at an empty spot at the table and glanced around at the other students in Slytherin. There didn’t seem to be anything significantly different about them compared to all the other students. Although many of them were staring at him. Alucard’s heart sank when he realised that he couldn’t see Trevor or Sypha anywhere at the table. Since both of them had surnames that started with “B”, they’d probably already been sorted. Alucard eventually spotted them sitting at different tables after some more students had been sorted. Trevor was sitting at the Gryffindor table, his eyes fixed on the floor and Sypha was deep in conversation with an older student at the Ravenclaw table. So they’d all been separated. Would that mean that they’d no longer be able to spend time together? Alucard didn’t want to think about it. He felt down, much more upset than he thought he’d be. Would he really be able to enjoy his time here if he wasn’t able to make any friends? He was so caught up in his feelings that the sudden appearance of food on the table didn’t even impress him. And when the first-year students were led to their common rooms by the prefects, he also failed to notice several students pointing and laughing at Trevor, who was stuffing food from the table into his pockets.


	5. Levitation and the Bat

After spending most the night tossing and turning, Alucard gave up on sleep and got out of bed before the sun had even risen. Like he’d promised, he made a start on two letters: one to his father and one to his mother. However, after writing their names on the parchment, he found that he had nothing else to say. He didn’t want to make them worry, and part of him still feared that his father would arrive and take him away if he even heard a whisper that he was having a tough time. After several hours of scribbling out lines and starting again, Alucard gave up and headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast. He’d spent more time writing than he’d realised as the hall was packed with students already. Both Sypha and Trevor were already seated. Somewhat reluctantly, he took his seat at the Slytherin table. Not long after he sat down, the chatter died down as Professor Macha Ní Rioghain stood up and addressed the hall.

“Good morning! Once again, I’d like to welcome our new first year students. I hope that you are settling in well and that the buds of friendship will soon bloom. Now, I don’t want to bore you with another long speech, so I’ll keep it brief. We must not forget that we all share a common goal here, and that is to deepen our knowledge. We must push past anything that becomes a barrier to knowledge, regardless of how difficult that may be. So, let us overcome any obstacles in our oaths and be as diligent as we can be in our studies. But that is enough from me. Please eat!”

Just then, the four previously empty tables were suddenly covered in food. Alucard, who hadn’t eaten much the night before, felt his stomach grumble. He reached out to take some food, but hesitated when he noticed that none of the food seemed familiar. He’d picked up something that resembled bread from home only to realise that it was filled with some kind of dried fruit. He gingerly took a bite and his mouth was filled with an unfamiliar flavour. Although he was eager to try new food, the fact that it was the first morning of classes was making his stomach churn with nerves, and he really longed for something familiar and safe. Then, as though he’d conjured it himself, a package and a letter fell right in front of him, sending a spoon flying across the table. His eyes darted towards the ceiling. Above him, dozens, perhaps even hundreds of owls were dropping various-sized letters and packages in front of the students.

Instantly, Alucard ripped into the package and breathed a sigh of relief. The package was stuffed full of sweets and biscuits -the ones that his mother used to make him for special occasions-, several pieces of bread from home, a hand-knitted red scarf and another letter. Alucard decided to open the letter that had been inside the package first, which naturally was from his mother. He eagerly dug into the bread as he read it.

_Dear Alucard,_

_I hope you are settling in well at Hogwarts and that this package reaches you at the right time! I’m sure you’re already meeting new people and trying new things, but I thought that you might miss home a bit. Please enjoy the sweets and biscuits. If you’re feeling generous, perhaps you could share some with your classmates? It’d be a good way to start a conversation with others. That said, you’re perfectly free to eat them all yourself! I’ll send more soon, so don’t worry about the decision to much!_

_Things are going well here, although I have been a little bit busy with work. But don’t worry: I’ll have plenty of time to write to you. And I eagerly await your letters about all the adventures that you are having. Just make sure that you dress appropriately for the weather, since it’s going to be quite different from home._

_Looking forward to hearing from you!_

_Lots of love,_

_Your mother_

Alucard folded up the letter and placed it back in the envelope, taking care not to spill any crumbs on it. He couldn’t help but smile: his mother must have sent this to him not long after he’d left with this father in order for it to arrive so early. And once again, it was though she was able to read his mind and understand what was troubling him, even with the distance between them. He then moved to the second letter, which of course was from his father.

_Dear Alucard,_

_I'm sure that I can safely assume that you have arrived safely at Hogwarts. Once again, I apologise for not being able to accompany you, but I’m am confident in your abilities to take care of yourself._

_Although I am sure that you will be able to learn a lot at this school, do not even hesitate to tell me if you are having a tough time. If anyone gives you trouble, I can write to your Headmistress once more and she can help improve the situation for you. And if it’s too much to handle, you can always choose to come home. Just send me a letter and I will come collect you. While this school seemingly has a lot to offer, there is no limit to what your mother and I can teach you._

_I’ll send you another letter when I reach Wallachia._

_Hope to hear from you soon,_

_Your father_

Alucard spent a little while staring at this letter before putting it away. While he was having a tough time, he felt that it would be best to keep it to himself for the time being. Besides, settling in usually takes time, and perhaps things would calm down once classes started. And he knew from experience that his father often took things too seriously and wouldn’t back down until he got his own way. That said, the idea of writing to his father lingered on his mind long after he’d finished breakfast…

*

Once Alucard had finished breakfast, he carefully placed his package under his bed before heading to his first class: Charms. According to the timetable, the Slytherins would be studying with the Ravenclaws. He arrived very early to an almost empty classroom and took a free seat. He was overwhelmed with relief when Sypha plopped her books down on the desk beside him a few minutes later.

“Alucard, how are you doing? Where did the teachers take you last night?”

Alucard filled her in about how the teachers had all assumed that he had been in danger, and how while they’d been well intentioned, it seemed that almost everyone knew about him at this point. Sypha smiled when he finished.

“Well, you’re not wrong. Even the students in the Ravenclaw common room were talking about you! That said, they were just as equally interested in Trevor-"

“Why Trevor?” asked Alucard curiously.

“Well, as soon as they said his surname, some of the older students recognised it,” explained Sypha, a dark expression on her face. “While I’m sure you’re aware of the Belmont family’s reputation as vampire hunters, there seem to be rumours that the family also targeted and hunted wizarding folk. While there seems to be no basis in the rumours, apparently many students here believe them.”

Before Alucard could ask any more, the lesson started. At first, Alucard struggled to concentrate, but he was quickly drawn in by the content of the lesson. For their first lesson, it wasn’t that bad. Professor Nitpick, an ancient tiny wizard, informed them that they would be attempting to perform the levitating charm on a feather. While Alucard was focusing on his every word, Sypha breathed a sigh of relief. She’d been making things levitate since before she could walk. Without taking her eyes off the Professor, she made the feather hover above her outstretched palm. However, her actions did not go unnoticed.

“Miss Belnades, I have not yet told the class the incantation for this charm. Please wait for the others to catch up.”

And so Sypha allowed her feather to float back down onto the desk and began halfheartedly chanting “Wingardium Leviosa” along with the rest of her classmates. Alucard wasn’t surprised to see that she was the first to successfully pull it off, even using her wand. Alucard’s heart fluttered when his feather flew off the table at great speed, only to discover that a tiny gust of wind created by a fellow student rushing by had caused it. By the end of the class though, he had managed to make it hover for a few seconds.

“Spyha, you’re so good at magic already!” beamed Alucard as the two of them were making their way down the staircase. He was genuinely impressed by her very apparent skills. Sypha, however, did not seem too happy about it.

“You know, I’m disappointed that he is the head of Ravenclaw,” she sighed, jumping over one of the vanishing steps. “From what I was told by the other students, Ravenclaws are supposed to value knowledge and go out of their way to seek it. And yet as soon as another approach is taken to a charm in his class, he shut’s it down instantly. That doesn’t seem like the actions of someone who seeks knowledge from many sources. Perhaps I am wasting my time here… Regardless, that was just the first class. I’m sure I’ll have lots to learn in Herbology, with Professor Trout. She’s the head of Hufflepuff, who are known for their loyalty and kindness-“

“What about the other houses?” blurted out Alucard. He’d intended on comforting Sypha, but once again, curiosity got the better of him. Sypha didn’t seem too bothered by it: in fact, she was already smiling again.

“I was going to tell you off for not knowing basic details, but I guess you did miss most of the Sorting Ceremony. Well, you’re in Slytherin. Slytherins are known to be cunning and ambitious, but there are rumours that most dark wizards end up in Slytherin, so you better watch yourself! Huh, I hadn’t labelled you as someone too ambitious… perhaps you’re good at hiding it? I wonder… maybe I’ll let my guard down for a bit and find that you’ve beaten me in every subject!”

Sypha was laughing but Alucard certainly wasn’t. Cunning? Ambitious? These were words that he’d never even once considered using to describe himself. So, why had he been put in Slytherin? The words “dark wizard” echoed in his ears and his heart sank. While his father showed great affection for him, Alucard somewhat knew of the reputation he carried. Had he been placed in Slytherin based on his father’s actions? Or… perhaps there was more of his father’s dark side in him than he had realised? While Alucard silently pondered these things, Sypha continued her explanation, seemingly oblivious to his sudden silence.

“And Professor Einskis, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, is the head of your house. He’s the loud one that wouldn’t stop talking about vampires, isn’t he? And then that leaves Gryffindor, the house for the brave. The head of Gryffindor is Professor Snark, the Potions Master. Speaking of, don’t you have Potions next, Alucard? I wonder-“

“They’ve probably made a mistake then.”

The pair turned around to discover that they’d been joined by Trevor, a glum expression on his face.

“A house for the brave? Sure, that would suit pretty much every Belmont before me. But I’m nothing of the sort. I’d rather keep to myself and not cause trouble, not stand up for people in need and fight. I guess I got placed in the wrong house?”

Alucard wanted to share his thoughts on his own placement with Trevor, or perhaps talk about both of them being in the spotlight from day one. But he found himself unable to open up about such private matters. Instead, the two bid farewell to Sypha and headed towards the dungeons. Although he’d decided to keep his worries to himself, he did offer some advice to Trevor, ensuring him that the Sorting Hat probably saw potential in each student, and that perhaps the decisions were made based on a part of them that they were yet to discover. In fact, Alucard’s explanation was so motivational that even he himself began to cheer up. However, that cheerfulness was quickly interrupted.

“Hey, this is an English school. Speak English.”

Since it had only been the two of them speaking, they naturally gravitated to Romanian. It wasn’t that they couldn’t speak English, it’s just that there was no need to when both people involved in the conversation shared the same native language. Alucard, who had better the better English of the two, decided to address Aloysius Malfoy, the blond-haired fellow Slytherin who had spoken.

“My dearest and sincerest apologies,” began Alucard in English, bowing in a very over the top fashion. “I failed to realise that our conversation was so disturbing to your little sensitive ears. But, alas, it is our conversation. So, would you kindly fuck off?”

Trevor burst out laughing and Alucard grinned. He knew that he should probably try be a bit more friendly to his fellow students. But that Malfoy kid had been asking for it. Unfortunately, it was at that moment that Professor Snark walked in, his cloak billowing behind him like bat wings. His cold black eyes instantly fell on Trevor, who had to cover his mouth to stop himself from laughing. It was very clear that he did not share their cheerful mood.

“Belmont!” he barked with such power that Trevor jumped. “Would you not even think to perhaps take out your textbook for class?”

“I… I don’t have it,” responded Trevor eventually, unable to meet Professor Snark’s eye.

“It’s your first day, a time for making good impressions, and you can’t even prepare yourself for class. Five points from Gryffindor. You’re on the track to proving yourself a disappointment to this house.”

The two continued their lesson in silence, doing their best not to draw any more attention to themselves. For this lesson, they were expected to observe Professor Snark brew a remedy for boils, something which, according to him, “took true patience and talent” and could not be replicated by “the fools that Hogwarts opens its doors to.” At that point, Malfoy turned around to stick his tongue out at Trevor. Alucard was quick to give him the middle finger, which luckily went unnoticed by Professor Snark. By the end of the class, Trevor looked more down than he had earlier, so Alucard did his best to cheer him up.

“Wow, and I thought Professor Einskis seemed arrogant. He claims that this potion could only be brewed by someone with true talent, and yet it’s on the first page of the first year textbook. If it’s truly that difficult for him, then perhaps he shouldn’t be teaching potions!”

Trevor just gave a weak smile, unable to come up with anything to respond with. That didn’t deter Alucard though.

“Who does he think he is, swooping around the place like a giant bat? He looks more like a bat than my dad does, and my dad is Dracula.”

That did it for Trevor. Once again, he burst out laughing, causing Alucard to double over. When the two calmed down, they each took it in turns pinching their noses and imitating the arrogant rubbish that Professor Snark came out with.

“Well, at least we’re done with classes for today,” laughed Trevor, wiping a tear from his eye. “Since we’re finished early, I was thinking of visiting Oisín for some tea before lunch. If you’d like to come-"

“Mister Tepes, can I speak to you for a moment please?”

Alucard’s eyes widened when he realised that the Headmistress, Professor Macha Ní Rioghain, was standing right behind them. Had she overheard them making fun of Professor Snark? But if she had, would she not want to talk to Trevor too? There was no way of him knowing what she wanted.

“I’ll come next time,” said Alucard to Trevor, before following Professor Macha Ní Rioghain to her office.


	6. The Midnight Flying Lesson

_The road to hell is paved with good intentions._

Alucard had first come across this phrase when he had been reading with his father. No matter how much his father tried to explain its multiple interpretations, he just couldn’t wrap his head around the concept. However, for the first time in his life, Alucard felt that he understood it.

He found himself surrounded by teachers when he entered the Headmistress’s office, only to discover that they’d held a meeting about him, coming to the conclusion that it’d be best if he did not participate in classes that involved going outdoors. Instead, he would take private lessons with Professor Macha Ní Rioghain herself. So that meant while the other students went to the greenhouses for Herbology with Professor Trout and out to the castle grounds for Care of Magical Creatures with Professor Oisín Mac an tSionnaigh, he would remain indoors and be taught by the Headmistress.

Although Alucard wanted to explain that he’s able to go outside during the day, he found himself struggling to come up with the right words. Just when he thought of something to say, another teacher would jump into the conversation, ensuring him that his safety was the most important. In the end, Alucard decided to remain quiet for now, and discuss other possibilities later with Professor Macha Ní Rioghain.

That evening, Alucard was sitting at the Slytherin table, staring at all the strange dishes in front of him. In order to take his mind off things, he decided that he would try something new. But when the food appeared in front of him, he found himself once again feeling overwhelmed, this time by just the sheer number of dishes. That was until he felt someone plonk into the empty seat beside him.

“Hey, Alucard.”

Alucard stared at Trevor with wide eyes as he watched him pull a dish towards himself, piling a huge serving onto his plate. Eventually he found his voice.

“Trevor, you can’t sit here! This is the Slytherin table!”

“Huh, wow, but I can sit here. I guess I’m a much more powerful wizard than I thought! Here, you have to try this! OI, SYPHA!”

Before Alucard could object, Trevor spooned the some of the dish he’d sampled onto Alucard’s plate, then turned around and bellowed Sypha’s name across the hall. Before long, the three of them were digging into their food at the Slytherin table. Even though Alucard have never eaten the dish, he found it easy to eat since it was just meat, vegetables and potatoes. In fact, the more he ate it, the more he liked it. Meanwhile, Trevor and Sypha were discussing ways that they could sneak Alucard into Care of Magical Creatures and Herbology. Sypha hadn’t been impressed by the teacher’s decision and Trevor was absolutely furious: he went on a huge rant about how unfair and stupid it was before pulling out a parchment and quill and scribbling down potential plans of action.

“Right,” exclaimed Trevor, tucking the quill behind his ear. “So, first we’ll get someone to take that Polyjuice potion that Sypha mentioned so that they can pretend to be you and go into the Headmistress’s office. Then, I’ll sit on your shoulders, and Sypha will find a spell to make my robes bigger. When we get to class, I’ll explain that I had a growth spurt and the teachers won’t suspect a thing. Hey, maybe you could even help me in tests! You could whisper the answers to me! Two brains are better than one, like they always say…”

“Trevor, that’s not how growth spurts work!” giggled Sypha. “Besides, Polyjuice potion is very difficult to brew, and it could take months!”

“Well, we could always ask Professor Snark for help,” suggested Alucard with a smile. The three of them howled with laughter. “Anyway, that plan is so unnecessarily complicated. I could simply turn into a bat and hide in your robes, cutting out all off those unnecessary steps-"

“Can you really turn into a bat?” gasped Sypha, her eyes wide. Alucard nodded.

“Prove it!” demanded Trevor, genuinely looking excited.

But Alucard just kept teasing them about it, stating that he might consider showing them if they did his Charms homework for him. After talking to his friends, he felt ten times better about the situation. Even if they couldn’t find a solution, he could clearly see how much they supported him. In fact, the idea of talking to the Headmistress about it no longer seemed as intimidating…

*

“Thank you for joining me today, Mister Tepes.”

Alucard almost jumped out of his skin. He’d spent the last few minutes staring at the large griffin statue that guarded the Headmistress’s office, wondering whether or not he should repeat the password he’d heard the day before or simply knock on the statue’s beak and hope that she heard him. So naturally he was taken by surprise when Professor Macha Ní Rioghain spoke from directly behind him. With a smile, she led him forward and caused the statue to leap to life with the word “magpie”.

“Mister Tepes, I’m not going to dance around this,” she began, as Alucard took a seat at the desk that was covered in mysterious glass ornaments. “Although I must admit that despite numerous meetings, none of my colleges have even considered this. As a half vampire, it’s quite likely that you need to drink human blood. Is there anything we can do to assist you?”

“I… I don’t need to drink it,” muttered Alucard, staring at the multicoloured carpet that covered the floor. “I mean, I can drink it, but I don’t…”

Alucard trailed off. But apparently that was enough for Professor Macha Ní Rioghain. With no further questions, she began their Herbology lesson together. Herbology had been one of the subjects that he’d been slightly worried about. Although his mother had taught him plenty about the properties of plants and how they could be made into medicines, the plants in the textbook were completely unrecognisable. However, the Headmistress was patient with him, and was even happy to repeat herself slowly so that Alucard could take notes.

“I will request some bouncing bulbs from Professor Trout for our next lesson,” smiled Professor Macha Ní Rioghain. “But be warned, they’re quite difficult to keep a grip of.”

“Thank you, Professor,” said Alucard. “You’re really good at teaching Herbology. Was that your subject before you became Headmistress?”

“Ah… while I admit I do have a strong interest in the subject, I have never had the chance to teach it.”

“Then did you teach Care of Magical Creatures?”

Professor Macha Ní Rioghain took a moment to respond.

“No… I taught a subject called Ancient Celtic Magic, but it is no longer taught at this school... But there are more pressing matters at hand. You seem to have something on your mind, Mister Tepes. Is there anything you'd like to discuss with me?”

The lesson had gone well, and Professor Macha Ní Rioghain seemed open-minded and perceptive. Perhaps she of all the teachers would understand. But just as Alucard started to ask about joining the others outside with their lesson, there was a knock at the door. Before the Headmistress had a chance to respond, in strolled a young wizard dressed in formal chestnut-coloured robes, his light brown curly hair somewhat obscured by his black wizard hat. As far as Alucard could tell, the man didn’t seem to be a teacher at the school. But just to be safe, he leapt to his feet, ready to greet him. However, the man either hadn’t seen him or just blatantly ignored him as he marched straight over to the desk.

“Macha, it’s been a while!” he exclaimed in a booming voice. “So far, no problems, I suppose. After all, I haven’t gotten any reports of student turning into bats or howling at the moon. I trust that he hasn’t sent you any threatening letters, no?”

Rather than responding right away, Professor Macha Ní Rioghain instead turned to Alucard.

“Mister Tepes, this is Percival Perkins, the Chief of the Wizards’ Council,” she explained. Alucard extended his hand to the man, only to find him bowing so deeply that his hat fell off.

“Ah, Mister Tepes!” he repeated with a small laugh. “I’ve heard about you! I’m sure that you are enjoying yourself here at Hogwarts. I’d say that your parents are dying to hear all about the fun adventures you are having-"

“Mister Tepes, you must accept my apologies,” interrupted Professor Macha Ní Rioghain, “It seems that we have run over time with our Herbology lesson, and it’ll take time for your to reach the top of the Astronomy tower to observe the flying lesson. It’d be best if you made haste.”

Alucard had more he wanted to discuss, but he could tell that now wasn’t the time. He’d been so caught up in the lesson that he’d almost forgotten about flying. His heart sinking, he left the office and began climbing the stairs. How had he overlooked the fact that their weekly flying lesson also took place during the day?

*

“Seriously, Alucard, what gives?”

Once again, Alucard was joined at the Slytherin table by Trevor and Sypha. He turned away from his lunch to find Trevor staring at him with an indignant expression.

“Out of all the students in the class, I was able to fly the highest,” Trevor continued. “I was so pleased with myself. And then I spotted you, staring down at us from the tower. Are you afraid of flying or something?”

“Trevor, isn’t it obvious?” sighed Sypha. It took Trevor a second to realise. He looked startled for a moment, before slamming his hands down loudly on the wooden table.

“Right, we’re having a midnight flying lesson!” he announced firmly.

“But we’re finished classes after History of Magic with Professor Tinn,” pointed out Alucard. “Surely we could just wait until the sun sets and head out then..."

“No, it has to be midnight!” insisted Trevor. “It’s more exciting that way.”

“Well, I’m not getting caught out of bed after hours,” retorted Sypha.

No matter how much they argued with Trevor, he refused to budge. But as the day went on, the combination of the excitement about flying for the first time and the adrenaline rush from the thought of getting caught kept Alucard feeling wide awake, even though most the students around him had began to doze off because of Professor Tinn’s flat droning voice.

*

“This way,” whispered Alucard, leading the two towards the Slytherin common room. Despite her earlier objections, Sypha had decided to join them. Perhaps the fact that Alucard owned his own broomstick had changed her mind, since they wouldn’t have to break into the school broom storage facility. Once inside the deserted common room, they crept past the leather armchairs and the deep green tapestries, and down the winding stairs to the dormitories. Alucard pressed his finger to his lips before silently pushing the door open. As quietly as he could, he rooted through his trunk. He took his time pulling out the broomstick so as not to create too much noise. However, his efforts were proven futile when Untitled Swan suddenly stirred from its slumber and gave Alucard an affectionate honk.

The three froze, terrified that they’d be spotted. However, the rest of the students seemed to be sound asleep. Breathing a sigh of relief, Alucard led the others back up to the common room.

“That was a close one,” whispered Trevor, taking a seat by the dying fire. “Seriously though, it’s freezing down here. I don’t know how you cope.”

“Yes, I could feel my teeth chattering,” added Sypha. “I’m surprised the sound didn’t wake anyone. Anyway, I hope you don’t mind, but I borrowed your cloak.”

“My-?”

Alucard’s eyes widened in shock when he spotted the cloak in Sypha’s hands. It’d been several days since his encounter with that intimidating wizard in Knockturn Alley. Since the cut on his arm had healed pretty quickly, Alucard hadn’t given it much thought. Besides, he’d been practically overwhelmed with new information since starting school. So, getting rid of the strange cloak had completely slipped his mind. But before he could warn Sypha, she slipped it over her shoulders, causing her body to completely vanish from sight. After several seconds of the two boys gawping at her with wide eyes, she glanced down. But the sudden disappearance of her body didn’t seem to alarm her. In fact, she looked impressed.

“Alucard, you never told us that you have an invisibility cloak!” she beamed. Her expression changed when she realised that they were staring back blankly at her. “An invisibility cloak…? Don’t tell me you don’t know what an invisibility cloak is? Honestly, do the two of you even read? They’re mentioned countless times in our textbooks…. Whatever, just get under. I think it’s big enough for the three of us.”

*

With the cloak, sneaking out of the castle became a lot less nerve wrecking. Once they’d emerged from the dungeons, they strolled past the large hourglasses that displayed each houses points and through the giant wooden doors. The three students eagerly made their way to the training grounds, hurrying past the lake and the greenhouses. Once there, they pulled the cloak off themselves and instantly broke into an argument. Sypha stared on as the two boys started tugging at the broom.

“No, it’s my broom, I’m going to fly first!” complained Alucard.

“No, it’s your first time, so you’ll crash and break it!” insisted Trevor.

“You’re going to break it if you keep pulling it!”

“And the two of you are going to get caught if you keep yelling like this,” muttered Sypha, hiding under to cloak once more.

Eventually, the two decided that they would both ride the broom together, with Trevor steering and Alucard holding onto him from behind. Once they’d flown around for a bit, they’d land and switch places. Alucard was ready to start counting the seconds for his turn. But the idea was completely put out of his mind as soon as they took flight.

Once the two were ready, with Trevor firmly gripping the broomstick and Alucard clinging onto him from behind, Trevor kicked off the ground and the two shot dozens of metres into the air. This wasn’t the first time Alucard had experienced flying: he could turn into a bat after all. But this was nothing like he’d ever experienced before. The moment they left the ground, Alucard gasped as he felt like tiny frozen knives were pricking his skin: the night’s cool air much more intense as they zoomed around at such a height. But the unpleasantness of the cold was soon forgotten as Alucard laid eyes on the huge stone castle in front of him, various dark corners of it being lit up by the flickering lamps. He attempted to push his long hair off his face as it billowed and tangled in front of him in order to get a better look.

“Hold on!” yelled Trevor, pulling Alucard’s arm back around him. Alucard didn’t need telling twice: he clutched tightly onto Trevor as the two entered a nosedive: heading straight for the still black surface of the lake. But before they crashed into the water, Trevor pulled them back up just in the nick of time. Alucard felt his shoes and soaks soak as his feet grazed the lake’s still surface, sending ripples through the reflection of the perfectly round full moon.

“Wow, that was close,” shouted Trevor gleefully. Alucard wasn’t even angry that they could have been in danger: his heart felt light and free as they around the castle grounds together. He almost objected as Trevor changed direction once more, heading back to the training grounds so that Alucard could take his turn. However, they soon discovered that they hadn’t been as subtle as they had been earlier as they spotted the figure of Professor Trout awaiting them, her cloak covering her nightgown as she folded her arms in disapproval.

“Such irresponsible behaviour!” she tutted, as the two landed. “And from first year students too. I was just on my way to check up on the mandrakes and I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw-"

“Please, Professor Trout, we didn’t have any other choice!” pleaded Trevor. He pushed Alucard in front of him. “This is Alucard, Professor. Alucard Tepes. He was supposed to be in your class. He was really looking forward to it too. But he can’t join us because of his… limitations. And he was so upset when he found out that he wouldn’t be allowed to join our flying lessons.”

To Alucard’s surprise, Professor Trout’s stern expression softened.

“Well, neither of you are Hufflepuff students, so I will let you off with a warning. Just… do your night-time flying lessons a little earlier next time, won’t you?”

Alucard couldn’t believe their luck. They scurried back to the castle as quietly as they could. And as soon as they were out of sight-

“Hey, get under,” whispered an invisible Sypha.

“No need, Professor Trout says it’s ok,” responded Trevor.

“Yes, but I doubt Professor Snark would be too happy to find you out of bed.”

Trevor didn’t need telling twice. Both him and Alucard climbed under, making sure that the cloak fully covered them. Then, they headed towards the seventh floor, towards the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw common rooms. Alucard’s friends had risked a lot to support him with his first flying lesson. The least he could do was make sure they got back to bed safely.


	7. Transfiguration

_Dear Mother and Father,_

_I apologise for taking so long to reply to your letters. There’s just been so much to do that I simply did not have the time!_

_As you’ve probably assumed, I arrived safely at Hogwarts. The teachers here seem very friendly and are eager to help me in any way that they can._

_Although it’s only been a few days, I’ve learned so much! I’ve already tried some spells, learned about plants and potions and even flown on a broom with my friend! If this is just the first week, I wonder what else is in store for me!_

_Untitled Swan and Squeaks (the bat Father bought for me) are doing well too. And thank you so much for the sweets, Mother! I really appreciated them, especially when I first arrived._

_I hope to write more often when things calm down! And I can’t wait to visit you during Christmas!_

_Love,_

_Alucard_

Alucard read his letter over several times. While his feelings were genuine, he deliberately left out certain details, such as how he wasn’t let outside during the day, or how he’d befriended the one person his father had forbidden him from speaking to. With a smile, he sealed the letter and hurried to the Owlery before heading to Transfiguration with the Gryffindors.

*

“Welcome to your first Transfiguration lesson. I am Professor McGoggins,” began the serious-looking witch at the top of the class, peering at her students over the rim of her glasses. “Let me assure you that Transfiguration is one of the more challenging forms of magic. Observe.”

The class let out a collective gasp as their teacher suddenly disappeared, only to be replaced by a tabby cat. The class erupted into applause as she turned back. She gave them all a small smile before continuing.

“Now, that would be considered one of the most advanced forms of Transfiguration. We won’t even begin to transform objects into animals until at least your fifth year. However, what I just demonstrated for you is an even more rare ability that-"

“Alucard can turn into a bat,” interrupted Trevor.

“Mister Belmont, talking out of turn in my class is not permitted,” tutted Professor McGoggins, giving him a stern look. But the whispers had already started.

“Alucard, can you really?” asked an excited-looking Gryffindor student.

With the eyes of the entire class on him, Alucard smiled. He was used to people ignoring him, and sometimes even looks of disgust or fear. But this time, they were looking at him with excitement. And that was something Alucard wasn’t ready to dismiss so easily. He took a deep breath and, rather than turning into a bat, he transformed into a yellow-eyed wolf. Several people gasped. Some even let out a scream! But Alucard paid no attention. Instead, he stood on his hind legs and began walking towards the front of the class, causing his classmates to laugh and cheer.

“That’s enough, Mister Tepes,” insisted Professor McGoggins. But even she was smiling. “I was unaware that the Wizards' Council allowed wizards as young as yourself to become Animagi. Unless…”

“It’s just one of the benefits of being a half-vampire,” shrugged Alucard as he transformed back, taking his seat beside Trevor. Trevor gawped at him in disbelief. But rather than the usual murmurs, the class seemed more interested in trying to talk to him.

“Does it hurt when you turn into a wolf?”

“What else can you change into?”

“Is it true that vampires can fly?”

“Settle down, settle down,” instructed Professor McGoggins. “Well, besides Mister Tepes here, none of you will be performing that kind of Transfiguration for years to come. Now, please look at the twigs on the desk in front of you. I want you to focus on them and transform them into steel sewing needles. Now, please take out some parchment and your quills..."

After at least twenty minutes of note-taking, the class were allowed to attempt the spell. Had Sypha been there, she probably could have done it within seconds. However, the other first year students were not as advanced in spell casting. Within minutes, several of the students had given up, looking extremely disappointed. Alucard looked away from his own twig, which had a slight silver hue to i,t only to have to leap back to avoid getting hit by Trevor’s wand.

“Why. Won’t. You. Work?!?” he yelled at the twig, slashing through the air with his wand.

“Better watch yourself, Tepes!” laughed Malfoy. “Looks like Belmont the vampire hunter might be trying to kill you.”

“Please,” snorted Alucard, turning around to glare at Malfoy. “He’s more likely to kill me by accidentally stabbing me in the eye with his wand then he is – OUCH!”

Without warning, Alucard felt a fist connect with the back of his head. He spun around, only to find himself face-to-face with Trevor.

“MISTER BELMONT!” barked Professor McGoggins. “That is unacceptable behavior! Explain yourself!”

“Relax, Professor, I’m just practicing Defence Against the Dark Arts,” assured Trevor with a smile. Alucard had to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing. But Professor McGoggins did not see the humour.

“Make sure it never happens again. Five points from Gryffindor.”

*

Despite there only being a short break between Transfiguration and Defence Against the Dark Arts, the news that Alucard could transform into a wolf spread like wildfire. As he turned the corner to the classroom, he almost collided with Sypha.

“Alucard, you never told me you can turn into a wolf!” she squealed excitedly. “Can you show me? Please? I’ve always wanted to touch a wolf!"

“Do my ears deceive me?” interrupted the familiar sound of Professor Einskis’s voice before Alucard could reply. “Can you really transform into a wolf? I’m aware that it is a common trait amongst vampires, but this is the first time I’ve heard of a half-vampire with the same ability. That said, you are the first half-vampire I’ve ever met, Mister Tepes! If you wouldn’t mind, I’m writing an article for the Wizards' Council about vampires, and would love if you could answer some questions for me-"

“Um, Professor? The class was supposed to start five minutes ago…” pointed out a shy Ravenclaw student.

“Ah, well I guess it’ll have to wait until another day, Mister Tepes. Now, prepare yourself for your first Defence Against the Dark Arts Lesson! Behold as I tell you in great detail of how I conquered not one, but three mountain trolls with a simple disarming spell!”

*

“Why not?” asked Sypha, as the two walked along the corridor. “I know Professor Einskis seems a bit full of himself, but I think if you shared your own experiences, it could really help both teachers and students understand you better.”

“I think I’d rather explain myself to Professor Macha Ní Rioghain than have to do an interview with him,” admitted Alucard. “I get the feeling that the article might end up being more about him than vampires… Anyway, speaking of, I have Care of Magical Creatures with her now. I’ll catch up with you later!”

“Meet you in the Entrance Hall at seven,” winked Sypha, heading off to her next lesson.

*

The first ten minutes of the lesson was spent in almost complete silence. For Care of Magical Creatures, the students were expected to pick a magical creature and complete a project on it. Alucard spent a long time leafing through the pages, trying to find something that took his fancy. While the textbook fascinated him, he found himself unable to focus.

“Is something the matter, Mister Tepes?” asked Professor Macha Ní Rioghain eventually. “You seem to have something on your mind.”

“Professor, I’ve said it before, but I’m able to walk in the sun without burning,” admitted Alucard, avoiding her eye.

“That I am aware of.”

Alucard stared at her in shock. If she knew that, then why-?

“It is for the peace of mind of the teachers and the Wizards' Council that you are kept safe,” continued the Headmistress, as though she had read his mind. “They fear that even if you are met with a small amount of harm, the repercussions could be immense. Witches and wizards live much longer than muggles do, and as a result, they have a longer memory. The name Dracula Vlad Tepes is more well known in the wizarding world than you realise…”

“But what if the others didn’t know?” suggested Alucard. “What if I could attend lessons with the other students without them knowing?”

“I do not understand what you mean, Mister Tepes.”

“Say if I was able to become invisible. I could attend the lessons outside as normal and no one would know. Not the teachers, not the students, not even my father. What do you think?”

Professor Macha Ní Rioghain pondered it for a moment.

“Well, Mister Tepes. Becoming invisible is quite advanced magic, but the act itself does not go against any of the school rules. If you have somehow managed to find a way to carry it out, I would have no objections if you chose to spend our lessons together studying silently in my office. It would be as though you weren’t there at all. Now, off you go. I’m sure you’re quite hungry after such an exciting day. I’ll see you at our next lesson… or perhaps I won’t, if you’ve mastered the art of invisibility.”

Alucard couldn’t hide his smile as he rushed to tell his friends.

*

“Alucard, that’s great news!” beamed Sypha. The three of them had just finished dinner and were heading towards Oisín’s cabin, Untitled Swan pottering lazily after them. Squeaks the bat was happily perched on Alucard’s shoulder.

“I still don’t get why you’re allowed to have two pets,” grumbled Trevor, staring at his feet.

“But Trevor, you’re always sneaking out to feed that stray cat that lives near the forest,” pointed out Sypha. “At this stage, you probably consider it to be your pet, don’t you?”

Trevor just muttered something under his breath in response. But Alucard paid no attention to him: he’d just been told that he’d be able to participate in all of his lessons like a normal student. And that meant more to him than anyone else could possibly understand.

Trevor’s mood turned around once they arrived at Oisín’s cabin: he eagerly headed straight over to the table as though it was something he’d done several times before. Sypha and Alucard waited to be invited, and happily accepted the offer of tea and scones. As they sipped the tea, Trevor enthusiastically told him about their Transfiguration lesson earlier that day.

“…And then I punched Alucard in the back of the head and told Professor McGoggins that it was Defence Against the Dark Arts,” laughed Trevor. Oisín looked as though he was about to laugh, but caught himself at the last second.

“Now, Trevor, you can’t be acting out like that,” he scolded. “Good on you, Alucard for not fighting him back. That just shows how mature you are.”

“Actually, after class he tried to lock me in a cabinet, claiming that it was “Care of Magical Creatures”," smiled Trevor.

“At this rate, the House Cup competition will just be between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff if the two of you keep causing trouble!” scoffed Sypha. She was clearly amused, but Oisín was not impressed.

“Now, Alucard, that is not how to care for magical creatures,” he sighed. “But I guess I can’t really lecture you, since you’re unable to attend my classes. However, if you have any questions about your Care of Magical Creatures project, I’d be more than happy to help. Have you decided what creature you’d like to write about?”

“I’m going to write about Alucard!” piped up Trevor.

“Now, Trevor, that really isn’t necessary.”

“No, I’m being serious! Alucard can turn into a wolf!”

“Can you really?” asked Oisín, looking genuinely surprised. Alcuard nodded, and happily displayed his ability to them. Sypha let out a squeal of delight. She leapt off of her chair, crouched beside Alucard, and began to eagerly scratch the top of his head, just between his pointed ears. He changed back suddenly, resulting in her fingers being entwined in his long hair.

“Ah, sorry, I got carried away,” she blushed, jumping to her feet again. But Alucard wasn’t annoyed.

“Actually, that feels way better than I thought it would,” he admitted with a smile. Trevor snorted.

“Can you control it when you transform?” asked Oisín, clearly very curious.

“I’d say it’s just like when vampires transform, isn’t it Alucard?” asked Sypha. Alucard nodded. Oisín looked as though he was deep in thought.

“Ever since the Wizards' Council has started trying to categorise everything into the “beasts” or “beings”, it’s created quite the stir,” he explained. “Burdock Muldoon, the former chief of the Wizards' Council insisted that anything that walked on two legs was a being, and anything that walked on four was a beast. Then along came Elfrida Clagg, who swore that anything that could speak was a being, and anything without speech was a beast. Of course, to you these may just seem like definitions, but they cause a lot of problems for those that don’t fit into the category of “normal”. Werewolves for instance…”

“Do you know any werewolves?” asked Trevor, looking surprised. Oisín nodded slowly.

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. And with these changing definitions, the treatment of werewolves has changed rapidly over the last few years… I’d love to tell you more about it, but it’d be best if you headed back to the castle. I don’t want you to get in trouble for wandering the grounds late at night!”

The trio protested, but Oisín was firm with his decision. He packed up a few scones for them to take back before waving them off from the door.

“I wonder what he meant by the treatment of werewolves…” pondered Sypha. “Perhaps you could ask Professor Macha Ní Rioghain the next time you see her? She was a Care of Magical Creatures teacher after all.”

“I thought she taught Herbology,” said Trevor, looking confused.

“Actually, she didn’t teach either of those,” explained Alucard. “She told me that she used to teach Ancient Celtic Magic, which is no longer taught here.”

“That’s a pity, it sounds like an interesting subject,” sighed Sypha. They had just reached the Great Lake when they ran into some Hufflepuff students. No sooner had they gotten into earshot when they heard the word “vampire”. Alucard braced himself for confrontation. But the encounter went far differently from what he’d expected.

“Is that your swan?” asked a red-haired boy with freckles, to which Alucard nodded. His face split into a grin. “I knew it! So you must be the half-vampire then, since only students of vampire descent can have one! Is it true that you can turn into a wolf?”

The boy had so many questions that Alcuard was left answering them until they parted ways in the entrance hall. Alucard couldn’t help but smile: in the span of just a day, the attitude of many students had changed so dramatically. They’d gone from looking at him with fear to approaching him out of curiosity. And it was a change that he was happy to welcome.


	8. Mars

Despite it being a secret between the Headmistress and Alucard, it seemed that the other teachers were accepting his invisible presence in their classes. In Herbology, Professor Trout set up an extra space in the greenhouse “as a sample for the class” and in Care of Magical Creatures, Oisín let Sypha and Trevor work together “as a pair”, even though the rest of class had been instructed to work in threes. And as for his other classes, his fellow students seemed happier to be around him. Even though Malfoy often shouted “Watch out, or the wolf boy will get you!”, most students just chose to ignore him.

The only lesson Alucard couldn’t actively participate in was flying. But that didn’t mean that he couldn’t try it out. Having taken Professor Trout’s warning seriously, the trio chose to meet in the flying grounds just after dinner several times a week. One day, they were spotted by Professor Trout herself. Approving of their decision to follow the rules, she opened up the school broom sheds for them, enabling the three of them to fly at the same time. And they all absolutely loved it.

Although Trevor had no problems participating in flying lessons normally, with the absence of a teacher to tell him off, he flew much further and higher than was allowed in class. Sypha, who was used to travelling quite slowly with her fellow Speakers, found this fast-paced method of transportation exhilarating. And Alucard, although still looking back on his midnight lesson with fond memories, was delighted that he could finally fly on his own without worrying about getting into trouble. In fact, nothing really worried him while he was in the air. Instead, his mind was completely captivated by the stunning scenery of the castle grounds. But eventually, the nippy evening wind began to get to him. He swerved and gracefully landed beside Sypha, who had already decided to call it a night. But the pair were waiting for almost ten minutes before Trevor decided to join them.

“Hurry up, I’m freezing!” complained Sypha, her arms folded as her teeth chattered.

“You should be more careful,” instructed Alucard. “I saw how high you flew. While I must say I’m impressed, you could get in trouble. The last thing we want is for the teachers to cancel our lessons because you’re putting yourself in danger.”

“Then perhaps I could borrow your cloak so that the teachers couldn’t see me?” suggested Trevor.

“Don’t be ridiculous, the cloak would fly off of you as soon as you kicked off the ground,” pointed out Sypha with a sigh. She turned to Alucard. “Speaking of, would you mind if I borrowed it? I tried to research Ancient Celtic Magic, but I couldn’t find a single book on it anywhere in the library! I’m not going to give up though, I’m sure I’ll be able to find something if I can sneak into the restricted section…”

Alucard agreed, and they began to pack up to head back to the castle. He waited as Trevor and Sypha returned their borrowed brooms, his own broom slung over his shoulder. As night had already fallen, the grounds were empty except for a small number of students. He watched the flickering candlelight coming from Oisín’s cabin window and wondered when they’d visit him again. Behind the cabin, the tall dark trees of the Forbidden Forest swayed in the breeze. But something unusual caught his eye: there was a face hiding amongst the trees. Someone was watching them. As soon as they spotted Alucard looking, they disappeared. And judging by brief glimpse he’d gotten of their appearance, it wasn’t a student.

“What’s wrong, Alucard?” asked Sypha, as the two joined him once more.

“I think there’s someone watching us from the forest,” he whispered, straining his eyes to try find the mysterious figure again.

“Well, perhaps we should just head back to the castle, since it’s called The Forbidden Forest for a reason,” Trevor whispered back.

“Alucard wasn’t there when the Headmistress warned us about the dangers of the forest,” pointed out Sypha, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Besides, I’ve always wanted an excuse to check it out!”

Sypha and Alucard exchanged an enthusiastic nod before rushing towards the forest, Trevor reluctantly following behind. But once they were inside, they hesitated slightly. They were far away from the bright lights of the castle, and as soon as they wandered in, the already quiet evening fell dead silent. Sypha conjured up a ball of light to illuminate their path. Alucard led the way, cautiously proceeding forwards in search of the person. He couldn’t help but notice how alert Sypha seemed, as though she was preparing herself in case of an attack. Even Trevor had his fists raised.

Sypha spotted him first. She let out a gasp and grabbed Alucard’s arm. Alucard stopped in his tracks. Through a gap in the trees, he spotted the face from before. Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be that of an adult man with ringlets of white-blond hair surrounding his face and dazzling light blue eyes. However, they were not looking at a man as such. Instead, they were looking at the naked torso of a man with the body of a horse: a centaur.

“Alucard, don’t,” whispered Sypha. But she was too late: Alucard had already begun to approach the being. The centaur’s eyes dashed from Sypha who had spoken, to Alucard.

“It appears that the rumours are true,” muttered the centaur. “The school has opened its gates even wider than before. I’m glad to have finally laid eyes upon you myself, Mister Tepes.”

“Who are you, and why were you watching us?” asked Alucard.

“The forest is not a safe place for students,” responded the centaur, ignoring his question. “Although one could argue that the world itself is also not a safe place…”

“Are you disappointed that the school doesn’t include centaurs?” asked Sypha kindly, trying to read between the lines. However, the centaur was less than impressed with her question.

“Us centaurs have little interest in studying the way wizards do. A Speaker should understand that much.”

“So, are you just here to criticise my friends, or do you have something to tell us?” snapped Trevor, stepping out from behind the trees as Sypha shied back. The centaur sighed and turned his back to them, his silky hair flopping as he stared up at the sky.

“Mars is awfully bright tonight.”

“What-“

“Don’t.”

Before Trevor could even finish his sentence, Sypha had pulled him back. She gestured for her friends to follow her. Trevor obediently followed. Alucard stared at the centaur for a few more seconds. But when it became apparent that he had nothing else to offer, he hurried to join his friends.

“There’s no point trying to get information out of centaurs,” Sypha explained, as the three of them made their way back towards the castle. “They’re not known for interacting with humans… besides, despite their aloof appearance, they can actually turn quite violent if they want to. Anyway, we better get to bed. I don’t mind if the two of you are in a race to the bottom, but personally I don’t want to lose points for my house.”

*

The following morning, Alucard couldn’t help but notice that a stain he’d spotted during the previous night of flying practice still remained on Trevor’s robes. When he asked him about it, Trevor reluctantly admitted that since he only owned a single pair, it was difficult for him to wash them. And that was why when Sypha came to join them at the Slytherin table, she did a double take.

“Trevor, did you just transfer to Slytherin?” she questioned, looking baffled as she eyed up his borrowed pair of Slytherin robes.

“Nah, he doesn’t fit the qualifications,” giggled Alucard.

“What? Am I not evil enough? Perhaps you could bite me, Alucard,” retorted Trevor.

“Touché! Look, Sypha! Some dishes from home have appeared! You should try them!”

Once they’d finished breakfast, Sypha and Alucard left Trevor the temporary Slytherin behind and wandered over to the Charms classroom. Their high spirits from before were quickly dashed as they were informed that they would be studying the charm _Incendio_ , which produced flames. Sypha, who was so well experienced when it came to producing fire that she could have conjured a fire tornado with a flick of her finger, rested her head on her hands as she watched the rest of the class struggle, not even bothering to attempt it herself. Alucard, however, found the charm particularly challenging. No matter how hard he focused, he just couldn’t get it right. In fact, he felt his mind growing murky…

“Mister Tepes? Are you alright? You seem a little peaky. Would you like to get some fresh air?”

Alucard rubbed his eyes only to find Mister Nitpick standing in front of his, a look of concern plastered on his face. With a feeble nod, he gingerly stood up. It was only when he stood up did he realise the extent of his dizziness. He hastily grabbed the table to steady himself.

“I’ll take care of him, Professor!” piped up Sypha eagerly, jumping up to grab Alucard’s arm and steer him out of the classroom. “Let me come with you, I want an excuse to skip class,” she added quietly in Romanian before Alucard could protest.

Once they’d made their escape, they headed towards the astronomy tower. Alucard had decided this, as it was always deserted during the day and he wanted somewhere quiet to rest. When they arrived, Alucard lay against one of the pillars and began observing the sky.

“Um.. if it’s Mars you’re looking for, I don’t think you’ll see it during the day,” pointed out Sypha. “Besides, it’s a bit too cloudy to see much anyway.”

“My father is Dracula,” responded Alucard simply. “I’ve learned to appreciate the fact that I can still enjoy the daylight.”

“Even with the lovely rainy weather today,” sighed Sypha. But she was smiling. She sat down beside Alucard and enjoyed the view with him. They lost track of time as they stared at the sky, their minds blank as they watched the clouds drift. However, they were soon disturbed by the sound of two voices and footsteps coming from the stairway.

“Beatrice Edgecombe has been mentioning her desire to retire in every letter she sends me, Percival. And once she leaves, I fully intend on applying to fill in her spot on the council.”

“Yes, Magnús, you’ve mentioned you’re desire to be part of the council many a time. And rest assured, I will put in a good word for you.”

“Thank you, you won’t regret it.”

The conversation came to an abrupt stop at the same time that the footsteps did. Alucard and Sypha stood up, only to discover that they’d been joined by Professor Einskis, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher and Percival Perkins, the Chief of the Wizards’ Council.

“Ah, Miss Belnades, Mr Tepes, what are you doing up here?” asked Professor Einskis. Beside him, the Chief gave them an awkward smile. He looked from the Alucard to the sky, as though he was wondering if the sun could get him from where he'd been sitting.

“Alucard wasn’t feeling well, so we decided to take a walk,” explained Sypha.

“Well, wouldn’t the hospital wing be the more sensible place to visit?” suggested Professor Einskis, although his smile was warm. “You better hurry and get back to class. Oh yes, I’d almost forgotten, I hope I can interview you sometime, Mister Tepes!”

“Sure,” mumbled Alucard, avoiding his eye. Both him and Sypha hurried out of the room and down the stairs. Once they were a safe distance away did they slow down. It was almost the end of class, and they had no intention of returning to Charms.

“You know, if you don’t intend on telling him about your life as a half-vampire, perhaps it’d be easier to shut it all down sooner rather than later,” suggested Sypha. Alucard nodded.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right…”

The bell rang, signalling the end of class. Alucard and Sypha arrived at the Charms classroom just as their classmates poured out of the room. They retrieved their belongings before heading their separate ways: Sypha to potions and Alucard to Herbology.

*

“Alucard… hey Alucard… are you there? What are we supposed to be doing?”

Trevor had tried to whisper, but in order to be heard above the chatter of the class, he spoke somewhat louder than he had intended to. The two girls standing beside him gave him a strange look.

“I… I like going through each step, saying them aloud,” lied Trevor, not sounding convinced himself. One of the girls muttered something. The other giggled, and the two turned away, Trevor resumed his work.

“Hey, Alucard-"

“I’m on your other side,” Alucard sighed. Although he was delighted to be able to participate in the class, he wished he could be visible for it. “Were you not listening to Professor Trout when she explained it? She went through it twice already. You’re supposed place the Screechsnap seedlings on the tray and cover them with a light layer of dragon manure over them- a light layer, Trevor!”

But Alucard was too late. Trevor had already taken a heaped scoop of dragon manure and piled it on top of the Screechsnap seedlings. The seedlings did not appreciate this and began to let out a deafening wail, squirming around under the manure.

“Mister Te… Mister Belmont!” shouted Professor Trout. “Everyone, see here. Mister Belmont has completely buried his seedlings under the manure. Try not to do that, the seedlings won't be very happy if you do!”

“Sorry, Professor Trout,” mumbled Trevor, as she helped scoop the excess manure off the seedlings. But Professor Trout didn’t seem angry at all. In fact, she was smiling.

After Herbology had ended, the two had decided to relax for a bit beside the Great Lake. Even though the sun was still hiding behind the hills, since there was no-one around to tell him off, Alucard slipped off his cloak. Trevor was showing him how to skip stones across the water and Alucard, who had never seen anything like it before, wanted to give it his best shot.

“It’d be easier if you could just join class like everyone else,” sighed Trevor, successfully skipping his third stone across the surface of the water.

“Yeah, but I guess I should just be grateful that I can even join in,” replied Alucard, the fifth stone he'd thrown making a huge plopping sound as it instantly sank beneath the surface. “It’s an upwards battle, but we’ll take it one step at a time. Hey, how come you’re so good at this?”

“Ah… my father showed me when I was young,” revealed Trevor, avoiding Alucard’s gaze. “But you’ll get the hang of it eventually… one step at a time.”

“Do you want me to throw this next stone at you?” threatened Alucard jokingly. He dramatically threw it over Trevor’s head. The pair of them watched the water splash upwards as the stone sank to the bottom of the lake.

No matter how many times I show you, you just don’t seem to get it,” sniggered Trevor. “Tell you what, you leave the stone skipping to me, and I’ll let you take charge in Herbology.”

“I don’t mind taking charge in Herbology, but I’ll get the hang of stone skipping one day!”

The two laughed and headed back to the castle to join Sypha for dinner. After such a long day, they were looking forward to relaxing and catching up. But nothing could have prepared Alucard for what happened next.

*

As the two of them wandered into the Great Hall, they couldn’t help but notice as the chatter gradually died down as every head turned to look at them. Before Alucard could ask Trevor what was happening, he spotted Sypha running towards him with tears in her eyes. She grabbed him, desperately trying to pull him from the hall. But she was too late.

“The nerve of you to show your face in here!” spat an angry voice. It was none other than Flavius Malfoy, his eyes narrowed with hatred. He flung the latest edition of The Evening Prophet newspaper at his feet.

“There!” he hissed. “This just proves it. Shows what happens when we let the likes of you into our world. _The entirety of Wallachia will pay for the actions of the church_ … who’s to say that the whole world won’t be next? Your father is a monster. You should have never come.”

With shaking hands, Alucard picked up the newspaper, ignoring Sypha’s pleas for him to leave.

**_Dracula Declares War on Humanity_ **

_Following the accusation of witchcraft and subsequent burning of his wife, Lisa Tepes, at the stake, Dracula Vlad Tepes has declared that no-one in the region of Wallachia will be spared for taking his wife from him. The local church, known for its active approach to dealing with witchcraft-_

But Alucard read no more. Instead, his eyes focused on the pictures, which like all pictures in the wizarding world, was moving. One depicted his father, his eyes demonic with fury as he glared up at him. And the other… Alucard’s eyes widened in horror as he watched the depiction of the event: an inferno of flames engulfing… engulfing…

Alucard’s breath caught in his throat as he spotted the blackened skeleton slumped against the stake. His eyes darted between the text and the picture, but no matter how many times he tried to process it, it didn’t make any sense. His mother wasn’t a witch, and he often received letters from her. There was no way that she could be dead... was there? In desperation, he looked to his friends, only to realise that the students of the hall were staring at him, mostly with expressions of fear. Sypha had completely burst into tears. Even Trevor was shaking, his eyes wide with shock.

“Mister Tepes…”

Alucard turned around only to find Professor Macha Ní Rioghain staring at him with sad eyes, her expression sombre.

“It’s with deepest regret that I must inform you of the passing of your mother. I apologise that you found out under such circumstances. If you… Mister Tepes!”

It all became too much for Alucard to bear. The hall began to spin and the world faded to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I started writing this, I had barely just joined the site. I didn't really realise that people would actually read this, and I'm very grateful. I've already planned out the plot for this story, and had intended to include the death of Lisa from the start. Sorry if it comes as a bit of a shock...
> 
> "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."  
> Don't worry, there's still more to come. Both the good times and the bad times.  
> GlitterNyappyGacktRose


	9. The Tower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait. This time, I've uploaded two chapters together!

“This is Dracula we’re talking about.”

Alucard was awoken by the sound of a hushed argument. It took him a few seconds to realise that he was lying in a bed in the hospital wing. Judging by the darkness of the room, it was late at night. After listening carefully for a few seconds, he was able to pick out the voices outside the door of hospital wing: the Headmistress, Professor Macha Ní Rioghain and Professor Einskis, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher and the head of Slytherin house. It took him a little more time to figure out who the third voice belonged to. It was only after Professor Einskis addressed him by name did Alucard register that the third voice was no other than that of Percival Perkins, the Chief of the Wizards’ Council.

“Yes, Percival, I am aware of that,” responded Professor Einskis, struggling to keep his voice to a whisper. “But Dracula has been at peace for quite some time. Besides, if I am not mistaken, he has even worked with wizards in the past. Perhaps us wizarding folk will be safe-"

“Professor Einskis, I cannot even to begin to express my disgust,” hissed Professor Macha Ní Rioghain. “Are you trying to suggest that the lives of Muggles matter less than out own?”

“Aha, so you do think that Dracula is a threat!” exclaimed Percival Perkins. “See, this is what happens when you invite those types into our world. Regardless, I’ll have to disagree with you, Magnús. I don’t believe for one second that Dracula would take even a second to distinguish between a wizard and a Muggle. In fact, perhaps we are in even more danger than the Muggles, considering that his wife was burned at the stake on the accusation of witchcraft.”

“I hadn’t thought of that…” whimpered Professor Einskis. “Do you think that he’ll come to Hogwarts to take out his anger on us?”

“But we have a weapon on our side,” assured Percival Perkins. “The boy. As long as we take good care of his boy, Dracula won’t lay a finger on us. Perhaps we could use him to calm his father’s rage. We could even just use him to find Dracula’s location and-"

“Enough,” snapped Professor Macha Ní Rioghain. “I will not have you talk about my students in such a manner. The safety of Mister Tepes, of all of our students, is our top priority. I believe that it would be best for him to remain at the school under our protection. And Professor Einskis, as head of Slytherin house, you should be thinking of the well-being of your students. Mister Tepes has just lost a parent and been through a terrible ordeal. Perhaps you should be checking up on him? You should be keeping a close eye on him.”

“Ah, of course…”

Alucard heard shuffling as the conversation came to a close. He didn’t feel like speaking to anyone right now, but Professor Einskis was the last person he wanted to see. In the blink of an eye, he transformed into his bat form and flew out an open window into the darkness of the night.

*

Time seemed to have lost all meaning. Alucard leaned against the wall, his neck craned upwards as he stared at the dark starry sky, the moon hidden from sight by a grey cloud. He was sitting in the corner of the Astronomy Tower, his mind completely blank as he tried for what felt like the thousandth time to count the stars in the sky.

“…Alucard?”

Alucard jumped out of his skin. He hadn’t even noticed the door opening. He spun around to find Trevor and Sypha staring at him, their eyes filled with concern. They approached him cautiously, kneeling down to his level. It was only when Sypha wrapped her arms around him did reality come crashing down like a tonne of bricks. He leaned into Sypha’s warm body, tears streaming down his face as his breathing became ragged from sobbing. As Sypha held him close, he felt Trevor also put an arm around him, the other hand comfortingly running through his golden hair. His world may be crashing around him. But at least he was not alone.

“We’re here for you, Alucard,” whispered Trevor.

Alucard pulled out of the hug. His met Sypha’s eyes, only to discover that she too was in tears. Even Trevor seemed to be struggling to keep a brave face.

“It’s my fault,” muttered Alucard. “She was only killed because she was accused of being a witch. If I hadn’t come to this school…”

“It’s not your fault, Alucard,” responded Sypha, gently placing a hand on his face. “From what I’ve heard, your mother is a woman who believes in science and using it to help people. She’s exactly the kind of person the church targets to stamp these ideas out of society. I’m sorry, but I don’t believe that the outcome would have changed whether you had come here or not…”

Alucard wasn’t fully convinced, but he couldn’t get any words out. Instead, he rubbed his red and swollen eyes with his hand.

“Let it all out,” comforted Trevor, grabbing Alucard’s other hand. “It’s ok to be sad now. Things are quite frankly terrible right now, but it’ll get better eventually.”

“How can you know that?”

“Because something similar happened to me. My entire family was killed when I was eleven.”

Sypha gasped. Alucard felt his heart drop.

“I-I’m sorry, I had no idea…”

“It’s ok,” assured Trevor. But Sypha was not convinced.

“But how can you be ok if it happened so recently? Unless… how old are you now?”

“I just turned thirteen when Oisín came to find me. I returned to the ruins of the Belmont estate only to find several letters, all from this school. I read the one that was the least damaged by the elements and decided to send my reply. Luckily an owl swooped down from the trees. In hindsight, it was probably watching me. Anyway, a few days after I responded, Oisín showed up and brought me to London. The wait was terrible: I was convinced that it was too late, since I’d initially been selected two years ago. But that’s all in the past now: here I am. And I’m so grateful to finally have somewhere to be, somewhere to live.”

“Trevor, you don’t need to hide things from us. Please don’t be afraid to talk if you need to,” sighed Sypha sadly. She paused for a moment, as though pondering whether she should continue or not. “Oddly enough, I’m thirteen too. Despite travelling from place to place, the owl managed to find me not long after my eleventh birthday. Initially, I hid the letter from the other Speakers, fearing their judgement and disapproval. However, almost two years after getting the letter, I opened up to my grandfather. And to my surprise, he agreed that it was for the best. Although, I’m amazed to hear that you’re thirteen too. I’d always assumed that Alucard was the oldest, then me.”

“You’re both thirteen?” questioned Alucard, genuinely looking surprised by this welcome distraction. “I’m technically still eleven. Although I do tend to age a bit faster than other children due to the vampire blood…”

“You suddenly look so much cuter to me. Ickle Alucard,” giggled Sypha, rubbing her eyes before pinching Alucard’s cheek. She was trying to cheer him up, but the smile on her face didn't reach her sad eyes. In fact, even her smile faltered as her tone turned serious once more. "Don’t worry, we’ll do anything we can to protect you.”

“We mean that,” assured Trevor, helping Alucard to his feet. “We’re here for you. Now, let’s get to bed. You could do with the rest. Come on, we’ll all go to the Gryffindor common room. You’ve had a long day: there’s no need to walk down all those staircases to the dungeons…”

With Trevor supporting him from one side and Sypha on the other, the three made their way down from the tower and towards a corridor on the seventh floor that Alucard had never visited before. At least he thought he hadn’t: his mind was swimming with thoughts and memories: the looks of fear from his fellow students, Malfoy’s furious face, the flickering flames dancing around the charred remains of his mother…

“Password?”

“Caput Draconis.”

Alucard came back to reality only to find himself in front of a floor-length portrait of a plump woman wearing a pink silk dress. She nodded after Trevor spoke and the portrait swung open, revealing a large hole in the wall that seemingly led to the Gryffindor common room.

“C’mon, Alucard, let’s hurry before we’re-"

Trevor cut off as the sound of footsteps drowned out his voice. The three spun around, already halfway inside, only to find themselves facing a very troubled-looking Professor Trout.

“We’re just on our way to bed, Professor,” muttered Trevor, avoiding her eye.

“Everyone has been very concerned about your well-being, Mister Tepes,” said Professor Trout calmly. “But I can see that you are in good hands. I will pass the news that you are safe onto the other teachers. Madam Poppy has been tearing her hair out with worry. Now, off to bed. You need rest.”

Alucard tried to mumble “sorry” but no words came out. Professor Trout seemed to understand though, as she gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder before leaving them to sneak into the Gryffindor common room.

Despite the others complaining that the Slytherin common room had been too cold, Alucard shuddered. The dying embers of the fire were giving off no heat and his body felt colder than usual. Trevor seemed to notice, and he steered him up the stairway on the right, all the way to the top bedroom. He pushed his finger to his lips.

“I’m afraid there’s only one bed for us, so we’re all going to have to share,” he whispered in a tone that suggested he expected them to object. However, Sypha just smiled and gave Alucard a little encouraging push. Before long, the three of them were crowded into the four-poster bed, Alucard sandwiched in the middle between his two friends. Although he was left awake long after his friends’ breathing became steady as they slept, Alucard felt safe. He knew that the next few weeks, perhaps even months were going to be difficult. But at least he could face them with his friends by his side.

He’d made up his mind: he was going to continue his studies at Hogwarts. After all, that’s what his mother would have wanted. With a ragged sigh, he buried his face into Trevor’s shoulder and tried to get some sleep, the tears still streaming from his shut eyelids.


	10. Halloween

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've uploaded two chapters together this time. Don't forget to check out chapter nine first!

The following morning, Alucard was awoken by the sound of whispered bickering as Trevor and Sypha argued whether they should wake him up for breakfast or not. He opened his eyes just in time to witness Sypha giving Trevor a playful punch in the arm, telling him off for whispering too loudly. Since they were all awake, they wandered towards the Great Hall together. But before they could step inside, they were stopped Madam Poppy and Professor Macha Ní Rioghain. Madam Poppy instantly began making a fuss over Alucard. She rushed over and pressed the back of her hand against his forehead.

“Mister Tepes, if you are not feeling well, or even if you just don’t feel up to class, please do not hesitate in coming to the hospital wing,” she said assuringly. Beside her, Professor Macha Ní Rioghain nodded.

“Yes, and I can confirm that the teachers have been informed of your situation,” the Headmistress added. “If you feel unable to attend class, the teachers will understand. And I’m sure they will also understand if your friends need a little extra time to keep an eye on you.”

“Did the Headmistress just give us an excuse to skip class?” asked Trevor hopefully once the teachers were out of earshot. But Alucard wasn’t listening. Instead, his eyes were focused on the hundreds of owls that were swarming above their heads. The three of them took their seats at the Slytherin table, Alucard not taking his eyes off the ceiling. He was so focused that he didn’t even notice the stares, or that several students scrambled to move away after they sat down. Only after the last owl had dropped off its letter and flown away did he put his head down on the table with a sigh. Although his mother was gone, there was a slim chance that she’d had the chance to write him a letter before it happened. And although it was still early, he’d hoped to hear something from his father too.

*

Despite feeling exhausted, Alucard decided to try attend his lessons for the day. And so, both him and Trevor headed towards Transfiguration. According to Professor McGoggins, they’d progressed enough with transforming the wooden twigs into steel needles and now they’d be attempting to transfigure food. Each student was given a bulb of garlic with the task of turning it into a grape. Alucard did his best, ignoring the sniggering of students behind him. By the end of the class, he’d successfully changed the colour of the garlic to a light purple.

Next was potions, and it quickly became clear what the students behind him and been laughing about. For the first time, Professor Snark was allowing them to attempt to brew a potion themselves: the cure for boils that he’d shown them in their first lesson. However, as Alucard and Trevor were preparing their ingredients, they heard something fall into their cauldron with a thud. Alucard glanced up just in time to spot Malfoy high-fiving his friend beside him. With a sigh, he peered into his cauldron only to find a bulb of garlic, clearly from their previous lesson. Deciding to not let it get to him, he whipped out his wand and attempted the spell once more. To his surprise, however, the garlic morphed before his eyes, turning into an albeit over-sized grape.

“Aha, free food!” exclaimed Trevor, eagerly reaching into their shared cauldron and cramming the huge grape into his mouth. However, his eager expression quickly changed to one of disgust as he bit into it. His eyes watering, he did his best not to choke.

“Still… tastes like garlic… skin and all…” he coughed, clasping his hand over his mouth.

“You didn’t have to eat it, you know,” pointed out Alucard.

“Nah, had to… take one for the team,” he gasped, finally swallowing the garlic-grape. “If you’re finished off by a piece of garlic, there’s no way I’m going to pass Potions this year.”

Alucard snorted and Trevor burst out into quiet laughter. Their fun moment was interrupted by a strange muffled sound not too far off from the cawing of a crow, It was only then did they discover that not only had Professor Snark been behind them the whole time, he was even stifling a laugh. As soon as they spotted him, he quickly rushed to the top of the class, his cloak billowing behind him.

“That’s the first time I haven’t been told off for a minor incident in this class. Either Snark’s actually got a heart and a sense of humour, or he’s terrified of Dracula,” muttered Trevor. Alucard nodded in agreement.

*

Alucard resisted the temptation to skip Defence Against the Dark Arts with Professor Einskis and reluctantly attended his class with Sypha. As usual, his class began with a tale of one of his many adventures. This time, he told the class of the epic story of how he caused four Dementors, creatures that sucked the happiness out of people, to explode into a ball of light as he successfully conjured a powerful Patronus Charm. Apparently his spell-casting abilities were so great that his Patronus instantly took the shape of an animal, a clear sign of a master spell caster. 

“To successfully cast this charm, one needs to recall a moment of extreme happiness in their lifetime before uttering the incantation “Expecto Patronum,” explained Professor Einskis, pacing back and forwards at the top of the class. “At that particular time, I just remembered the time I was presented with my Order of Merlin, second class, for ridding a quiet village up north of that pesky ghoul and I conjured it with no problems. Now, perhaps you are all imaging this classroom being filled with beautiful light creatures, but I can assure you that you’ll only see my Patronus, a rather magnificent peacock, prancing around the classroom. Perhaps some of you will be able to produce some light, but even that would be impressive considering that this isn’t normally taught until NEWT level. Now, would anyone like to give it a try? Just think of a happy memory and say the words “Expecto Patronum”. How about you, Mister Tepe-“

Professor Einskis cut off and he look horrified and he slowly realised who he was speaking to. Naturally, he happily jumped at the opportunity for a distraction as Sypha raised her hand.

“Yes, Miss Belnades?”

“Are there any other ways of fighting off Dementors besides the Patronus charm?”

“But with such a successful method of dealing with Dementors, why would we need another?” he asked, looking puzzled. Sypha chose not to respond. Instead she exchanged an exasperated glance with Alucard before non-committedly chanting “Expecto Patronum” with her classmates. One look at Alucard and she could tell that he didn’t feel up to their next lesson.

*

“What are you doing here?” asked Sypha, staring in bewilderment at Trevor, who was sitting on the edge of one of the beds in the hospital wing.

“What can I say? My lack of potion skills is made up for by my sixth sense,” retorted Trevor, jumping up to allow Alucard to lie down. “I knew you’d come here, so I decided to wait for you.”

“Nonsense. You just wanted to skip class,” teased Alucard with a small smile. But even that required huge effort. The day had taken the little energy he’d had left completely out of him. The others seemed to understand, as they quickly fell silent, allowing Alucard to close his eyes and rest.

Alucard didn’t remember falling asleep, but he was awoken by the sound of the door swinging open. His eyes fluttered open, only to spot Madam Poppy levitating several trays of food.

“Oh good, you’re awake,” she smiled. With a flick of her wand, the food-laden trays settled neatly on a table she’d conjured from nowhere. “I had a feeling that you three might want to avoid the hustle and bustle of the Great Hall this evening, so feel free to eat dinner privately here.”

Trevor and Sypha seemed quite excited by the idea, but Alucard in particular was very grateful. After a long day surrounded by other students, he just wanted to quietly attempt to eat dinner. Before long, they were re-joined by Madam Poppy, a jug of purple liquid in her hand.

“Lavender tea,” she explained, setting down on a free spot on the table. “It’ll help you relax, so you’ll be able to get more rest tonight, Oh, while I’m here, I may as well explain about the school’s upcoming event. The Headmistress is making an announcement about it in the Great Hall, but since you’re not there, I’ll just explain the details. In about two weeks times, we’ll be having a special event for Halloween, a festival which is celebrated by witches and wizards. Students are encouraged to dress up and there will be many events for you to enjoy.”

Madam Poppy passed each of them a small handwritten pamphlet about the events. Like Trevor, Alucard put it away with the intention of reading it later. But it quickly slipped his mind, and the pamphlet remained forgotten at the bottom of his schoolbag.

*

“Trevor, Alucard, where are your costumes?”

“Sypha, what on earth is that?”

Trevor and Alucard stared gobsmacked at Sypha, who was wearing a long tattered black cloak that almost completely concealed her face. Halloween had crept up on them before they knew it, and neither of them had given it a single thought.

“It’s my costume? Don’t tell me you don’t have one,” she responded, pulling her hood down to glare at the two of them. “I’ve been working on mine for a week. I’m a banshee, a spirit that predicts death. Honestly, I’m surprised that you didn’t even bother. How are you supposed to get free sweets if you don’t have a costume…?”

“Free sweets?” repeated Trevor, eagerly rummaging through his bag until he found the pamphlet. His face split into a huge grin as he grabbed Alucard’s arm. “Right Alucard, I’m going to have to ask you for a loan of your spare robes again. I’m going to dress up as… a Slytherin! You can wear my robes if you want to be a Gryffindor… Alucard?”

But Alucard was too caught up in his own thoughts. Ever since his mother’s death, he felt as though he was in a haze, just wandering through each day with no purpose. Although there were sparks of light, usually brought on by his friends, they were quickly overshadowed by his dark thoughts. And every day, he sat in the Great Hall, waiting for a letter from his father that never came. The longer he waited, the more concerned he became, the accumulating dread weighing him down even more. Had his father really made it back to Wallachia? He had promised to send a letter upon arrival after all. Had something happened to him? But the enthusiastic smiles on his friends’ faces were a brightness that even this darkness could not extinguish. A smile creeped onto his face as he slowly pulled up the hood of his recently donned cloak.

“No need,” he smiled, showing off his pointed fangs. “I’m going to be a vampire.”

Despite their low-effort costumes, the teachers seemed more than happy to offer them sweets, except for Professor Snark, who mysteriously came down with a cold and refused to leave his office. Meanwhile, Professor Nitpick had conjured up dozens of clouds that lazily drifted along the high ceilings of the castle, occasionally showering the students with multicoloured sweets. Once the trio had managed to secure sweets from most of the teachers, they decided to pay a visit to Oisín, who gifted them with chocolate frogs, which were a new kind of wizarding sweet that Alucard had never seen before. These mysterious brown sweets hopped around like real frogs. After eagerly devouring the frog limb by limb, he enthusiastically compared the card he’d found in the box with the ones Sypha and Trevor had received: Trevor had gotten Merlin, supposedly the most common card, Sypha had coincidentally gotten Rowena Ravenclaw, the founder of her house and Alucard had gotten Nicolas Flamel, the creator of the elixir of life. While Alucard and Sypha were fascinated by the fact that even the pictures on these cards moved, Trevor quickly grew bored and wandered out to feed the stray cat that he was so fond of. In the meantime, Oisín set down cups of tea for Alucard and Sypha. He took one look at Alucard before sighing and joining them at the table.

“You know, Trevor and you are quite similar in a number of ways,” he mused, taking a sip of tea. “The pair of you would rather carry the weight of the world upon your shoulders than reach out and ask for help. It’s only recently that Trevor admitted that he lied about having a place to stay after I left him in Diagon Alley. Turns out he was sleeping on the streets… there truly is no need for you to put yourself in danger. And that applies to all of you. You’ve been through a lot, and I’m here to help you in any way that I can. So, is there anything you’d like to talk about?”

“He slept on the streets?” repeated Sypha incredulously, once again unhappy about Trevor’s desire to walk through life without the help of others. Alucard too had been unnerved by this, but he was more caught up in Oisín’s question.

He thought about it for a moment, staring at the dark liquid in his teacup. There was something that had been on his mind for a while, but he was uncertain of how Oisín would react, seeing as most people seemed divided on the issue. Alucard had slowly come to terms with the idea that the letter he’d received from his mother was most likely his last. But the sorrow at the thought of that slowly subsided with the growing worry for his father. He hadn’t received a letter from his father since he’d been travelling back to Wallachia. Although he could probably assume that he’d returned, the fact he hadn’t heard from him at such a crucial time made Alucard fear the worst. If only there was a way that he could quickly check up on him, just to make sure that he was ok…

But before Alucard could think up of a not-so-obvious way of asking about magical transport, the door swung open and Trevor plopped down beside him and began eagerly unwrapping the sweets he’d stored in his pockets. Alucard decided to change the subject.

“Actually, there’s something I would like to talk about… The last time we visited, you mentioned that you knew someone who is a werewolf. I was wondering if you could tell us more about it?”

Oisín paused for a second before giving them a small smile.

“Yes, I did promise to tell you, didn’t I? I’ll tell you everything, just please don’t worry too much... My younger brother is a werewolf.”

Oisín’s eyes flitted from Trevor to Sypha to Alucard, as though he expected one of them to react negatively or cry out in disgust. However, when he realised that they were just staring back, waiting to hear more, he continued his story.

“He was bitten when he was very young. My parents were very worried that he would be rejected by society, perhaps even be in danger. But when the time came for him to get his letter, Professor Macha Ní Rioghain showed up at the door herself. She managed to convince my parents to allow him to attend school, assuring them that he would be well looked after. And she was true to her word: my brother’s condition was generally kept secret for his own protection, and every month at the full moon, he was provided with a room where he could transform and not be a danger to himself or others. What seemed like an impossible situation gradually grew more positive: Fionn was able to sit his OWLs and even his NEWTs. My parents went from worrying that he’d never be able to be part of society to worrying about simple matters like his grades! It really did seem that he’d even be able to get a normal job. That was until Burdock Muldoon was elected as Chief of the Wizards’ Council.”

“It all began with Muldoon’s attempt to label all magical creatures as beings or beasts. His suggestion was that anything that could walk on two legs would be considered a being, and anything that used four was a beast. Naturally, werewolves fall between the cracks here. But Muldoon quickly became frustrated and went from banning any non-wizards from being part of the Council to taking it all one step further and forbidding them from using magic. So, my brother was suddenly left searching for a job in the wizarding world without being allowed to do magic. An impossible task really.”

“Things seemed a bit brighter when Elfrida Clagg took over. She tried to redefine beings as those capable of speaking with the human tongue. Since werewolves are capable of speech every day of the month beside the night of the full moon, things seemed hopeful for my brother. However, with the backlash from merpeople and other magical creatures about this harmful definition, the members of the Council lashed out and created several laws without much consideration. Merpeople, who were no longer considered beings, were excluded from the decision-making process. Centaurs, who were still offended by Muldoon’s suggestion that anything that walked on four legs was considered a beast, refused to participate and as a result were excluded from many parts of the wizarding world. And werewolves were quickly labelled as a danger to society. Any known werewolves were gathered up and committed to an institution.”

Sypha clasped her hands over her mouth. Trevor’s hand froze, a sweet halfway up to his mouth. Alucard stared at Oisín, hoping that there somehow was a happy ending to this story. But judging by his grim expression, that was clearly not the case.

“Once Percival Perkins took over, I hoped that things would change. But no matter how many times I wrote to the Council, my letters were ignored. Professor Macha Ní Rioghain insisted that she would do her best to convince Perkins to see sense. However, Perkins seemed much more interested in creating a world that was beneficial only to witches and wizards. His Council revised all school textbooks, ensuring that nothing that went against his ideals were promoted. And so, my brother is still being kept captive.”

“There has to be something we can do!” exclaimed Sypha. “Surely they can’t just keep him locked up like that!”

“Why don’t we just go and break him out?” suggested Trevor darkly, his brow furrowed and eyes filled with fury.

“It’s not that simple,” insisted Oisín. “This isn’t a battle that can be won overnight. It will take time. The Headmistress has been fighting this for years, proving that people who are not considered to be “traditional” witches and wizards can thrive at Hogwarts and even become pillars in our society. The head of Magical Games and Sports at the Council is half giant, and the woman who wrote the Care of Magical Creatures textbook is a Veela! For years, Professor Macha Ní Rioghain has been providing solid examples of how flawed the Chairperson’s thinking is. And you too Alucard play a huge part in this.”

“Well, I guess I’ve been a huge help then,” muttered Alucard sarcastically. Oisín shook his head. 

“Don’t be so quick to put yourself down, Alucard. The fact that you, the son of Dracula, were invited to this school, caused quite the stir in the magical community. But anyone who has met you would without a doubt say that you’re a pleasant and enthusiastic student. You are living proof that although you could easily be painted as “dangerous”, you are nothing of the sort. And that is an essential part of our side of the argument. You’re not your father, Alucard. You are your own person. And never forget that.”

*

Although they wanted to hear more about Oisín’s brother, he had insisted that they quickly headed back to the castle, as the Halloween feast was not something they'd want to miss. They reluctantly agreed, almost tripping over the recently added flickering candles that lined the path back to the castle. Despite Oisín’s words playing over and over again in his mind, Alucard couldn’t help but gasp as he set foot inside the Great Hall. The usual calm ceiling of the hall was crackling with lightning, and dozens of live bats fluttered past them. They took their seats at the Slytherin table as usual, only to find that the table was covered in eerie-looking turnips with frightening faces carved into them. Not long after, the majority of the candles extinguished without warning, only to reveal a troupe of tap-dancing skeletons in front of the teacher’s table. As the students clapped and cheered, something caught Alucard’s eye. In front of one of his fellow classmates was a copy of the Evening Prophet, the headline “ **Whispers of Wallachia: Dracula Intends to Build Army of Night Creatures"**. Alucard sighed and fixed his gaze on the skeletons once more. It seemed that the view of his father being “dangerous” was far more widespread in the wizarding world than he'd realised. But he himself knew that there was no way his father would do such a thing.

*

Over the next few days, Sypha, Trevor and Alucard spent a lot of time in the library, reading anything they could get their hands on about werewolves while trying to balance their homework and studies. Eventually, the deadline for the History of Magic essay that they’d been doing their best to ignore loomed over them, so they had to put their werewolf research aside.

“I wish I could be like a Speaker and say that writing goes against my beliefs,” sulked Trevor, staring at the blank piece of parchment in front of him as he chewed on his quill.

“Well, that wouldn’t work anyway, since Sypha is at least half-way through her own essay,” pointed out Alucard, looking up from his book.

“You know, you could probably get out of doing this essay too, Alucard,” responded Trevor. “If you claimed that writing goes against vampire culture, the teachers would probably be unwilling to contradict you. Or, you know… you could pull the grief card. That would work. Hey, do you think that if I shared my tragic past with Professor Tinn that he’d let me off the hook?”

“Trevor!” exclaimed Sypha, sounding quite miffed. “You shouldn’t encourage that kind of behaviour. Besides, I’m certain that Alucard is beyond that level of childishness… Alucard?”

Once again, Alucard had found his mind wandering once again. But this time, rather than brush it off, he decided to open up to his friends. He hesitantly reached into his bag and pulled out a small box. Sypha and Trevor seemed somewhat puzzled.

“These are the last of the sweets that my mother sent me before she died,” explained Alucard slowly. “I want to share them with you both.”

“Alucard, we can’t-"

“I like food, but seriously-“

“I’ve made my mind up,” he insisted, dividing the remainder between the three of them. “After they’re gone, there’ll never be anything like them again. And I want someone else to understand and know just how much they mean to me. It was one of her last wishes after all that I shared these with my friends.”

Trevor looked ready to continue objecting, but he fell silent as Sypha placed a hand on his arm. She nodded, and the three of them set their essays aside, taking their time to appreciate the love that had gone into making the delicious treats. The two complimented the delicious flavour of the sweets, to which Alucard smiled weakly. He didn't know what to say to them. Eventually the silence was broken by Sypha.

“…That’s not the only thing you have on your mind, is it, Alucard?”

Alucard nodded, taking a few seconds to respond.

“Yes, you’re right. Perceptive as always. Yes… I've been thinking about this for a long time. But I think I should pay a visit to my father.”


	11. The Circle

“I’m going to ask one more time,” began Alucard as the trio followed the hordes of students as they casually wandered through the front door of the castle and out into the chilly evening. “I totally understand if you want to back out of this. You’re offering to give up our first trip to Hogsmeade for this, so it’s ok if you don’t want to do this anymore, So, if either of you have changed your minds-"

“Well I certainly haven’t,” cut across Trevor, wrapping his scarf tighter across his neck as he watched his breath rise in front of his face. “What money would I have to spend there anyway?”

“We’re not turning our backs on you at this stage, Alucard,” added Sypha, adjusting the book that was hidden down the front of her robes. “Besides, I’ve been researching this topic for months and can’t possibly give up the chance to try it out.”

Alucard nodded, returning his focus to his invisible levitating sword, taking care not to hit the dozens of excited students around him. As soon as he’d expressed his desire to return home to see his father, Sypha and Trevor insisted that they would accompany him, Sypha assuring him that she had a way they could pull it off. While he fully believed that they would stick to their word, he was determined to go home. And in the off chance that his friends backed out, or that Sypha’s method didn’t work, he’d use the broom tied to his sword and hidden under his invisibility cloak to fly back home, regardless of how long it took.

The three of them initially tried to make small talk but ended up walking in silence. Perhaps it was a mixture of nerves and excitement. While Sypha had informed them that she’d read as much as she could on this topic, she did admit that there was a chance that it wouldn’t work out. Trevor, who at first seemed eager to take care of Alucard, seemed to have remembered his not-so pleasant encounter with Dracula in Diagon Alley. And Alucard, who’d spent the last few weeks surrounded by the whispers and frightened stares of his fellow students, found that his confidence in his father was beginning to waver slightly. Of course, he strongly felt that there was no way his father would conjure up an army of hellish beings to slaughter the innocent. Perhaps he would have killed those responsible, yes. But the innocent bystanders? Surely not. Although that said, after several students had literally fled rooms he entered, Alucard came to realise just how feared his father was, which somewhat shook his belief that his father was incapable of such violence.

“Oh dear, it appears that the strap on my sandal has come lose!” exclaimed Sypha suddenly, so loudly that several students turned to stare. “I’ll just take a minute to fix it.”

She came to an abrupt stop, moving aside and bending down, dramatically over gesturing as she pretended to fix her sandal. Trevor pressed his palm to his face, muttering how she didn’t need to act so suspiciously as the other students passed them by, completely oblivious to their secret plan. Meanwhile Alucard was observing their surroundings. When Sypha had told him that she could get him to Wallachia from Hogsmeade, he’d assumed that perhaps she knew of a place where they could use Floo powder or perhaps a Portkey to travel After all, those were the methods offered to them when they first came to Hogwarts. To his surprise, however, they were standing in the middle of a stone path, surrounded by nothing but nature. As far as Alucard could tell, there wasn’t a building in sight. But rather than question it, he chose to trust Sypha. She led them off the cobbled path, through several fields, eventually reaching a clearing with around twenty towering moss-covered stones arranged in a circle.

“A circle of stones?” questioned Trevor, eyeing the stones with an expression of doubt.

“A stone circle,” corrected Sypha, reaching down the front of her robes and pulling out a dog-eared, dusty old book titled: _A Comprehensive Guide to Ancient Celtic Magic_ before continuing her explanation. “These stone circles were presumably created thousands of years ago. Several centuries ago, druids became aware of how magical these stones were and began to use them as a method of transport, using them to teleport between circles. However, with the ban of this type of magic, these circles have remained unused for decades. If all goes well, I should be able to transport us from this circle to a circle in Wallachia. Unless…”

“Unless?” repeated Alucard.

“Well, while I doubt that I’ll have any problems with the incantations, there’s a possibility that these circles have had their powers blocked. And although this one seems ok, there is also a possibility that the one in Wallachia could have been damaged or destroyed. If that’s the case, then we can head back up to the school and-"

“That’s won’t be necessary,” cut across Alucard. He removed the cloak from his sword and broom, causing Trevor to let out a whistle of admiration. “If this doesn’t work, I fully intend on flying there by myself.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, you can’t possibly fly-"

“Is that a sword?!? Don’t tell me you’re-"

Sypha shot Trevor an angry look as she cut across her. She spun around and began to closely examine the stones.

“I’m not intending on using the sword,” explained Alucard, replacing it in the sheath hidden beneath his robes and tucking his invisibility cloak neatly inside his bag. “I wanted to bring my broom just in case, and since I can levitate my sword-"

“I think this will work.”

While Trevor had been staring at Alucard in disbelief, Sypha rejoined them. Alucard nodded, tucking his broom under his arm before following Sypha inside the circle. All around them, stones of various heights stood, surrounded by a silent sea of fields. Sypha reread a segment of the book a few times before beginning the incantation aloud. Alucard half expected the stones to start spinning, or at least for them to be lifted off the ground as they had been with the portkey. However, nothing appeared to change as Sypha continued to chant.

“I don’t think it worked,” muttered Trevor after he was certain Sypha had finished.

“No, take a look,” gasped Alucard, pointing. There in the distance stood the dark looming castle that belonged to no other than his father, Dracula.

“The book said that it’d be a smooth journey, but I didn’t think it’d be that smooth!” exclaimed Sypha, clearly delighted with her own work. She eagerly caught up with Alucard, who’d already begun his journey to the castle. Only Trevor remained in the circle.

“Hey, don’t you think it seems like a bit of a trek?” piped up Trevor. “How about we use the broom and fly there?” Hey, Alucard!"

“I don’t want to use any magic unnecessarily while we’re here,” explained Alucard as Trevor rushed to catch up with his brisk pace. “My mother was killed for being accused of being a witch. The last thing I want to do is draw more attention to my family.”

With that, the three students began to march towards the castle. At first, Sypha dominated the conversation, telling them once more of how the belief that the Celtic wizards did not actually create the stones, but instead rediscovered and repurposed them, and how a lot of their magic practices involved chanting in groups and casting magic without the use of a wand. Once she realised that the other two didn’t seem to be listening, she fell silent, anxiously tugging on her sleeves as she muttered theories about how the stone circles had been created. In order to fill the silence, Trevor began cracking jokes, pretending that he was going to wait outside, since there’s no way Dracula’s mood would be improved by the sight of him. But after no-one laughed, he hastily insisted that he was still coming and quickly fell silent once more. Alucard could barely manage a smile in response. Trevor had a point: if it turned out that his father was not in any danger, then perhaps he would be quite unhappy to discover that his son was spending time with the one person he’d forbidden him from seeing.

Before they knew it, the trio found themselves in front of the castle. It was at that point that Alucard came to an abrupt halt, causing the others to nearly crash into him. For some reason, even though he’d called this place home, he felt reluctant to step inside, as though he was intruding. The huge entranceway towered above them with no visible signs of damage… did that mean that his father was ok? And if he was, then why hadn’t he contacted him? Alucard took a deep breath and set the broom down outside the entrance. He had no use for it now, and perhaps it’d be best not to parade around with magical artefacts in the presence of his father.

“You don’t have to come in if you don’t want to,” began Alucard eventually. “While I fully believe that my father is just grieving, there is the chance that you could be in danger. Just let me talk to him and-"

Alucard cut off as they were interrupted by an ear-splitting inhuman shriek. Covering his ears and rooted to the spot, Alucard stared in horror as a mutilated creature clawed its way through the front entrance, snarling at them as it sniffed the air. Its body resembled that of a giant crow, but its glowing eyes were that of a fly’s, reflecting back Alucard’s frightened face dozens of times.

“Who goes there?”

Alucard could just make out the sound of footsteps over the snarls of the beast by his face. As though it was being controlled, the beast pulled away from him, only to reveal that they had been joined by a tanned young man with long grey hair, young enough to pass for one of the older students at Hogwarts. Once the man laid eyes on them, a look of surprise flashed on his face. Alucard has initially imagined that he would have drawn his sword at the sight of a stranger. However, he found himself awkwardly introducing himself instead.

“I am Alucard, the son of Dracula. I’ve come to see my father.”

Alucard had tried to speak with confidence, but the slight quiver in his voice gave him away. The man looked him up and down, as though trying to suss him out, before nodding.

“Well, well, well. It appears that the rumours are true. Although he has never mentioned it himself, there are several stories across the land concerning the supposed son of Lord Dracula. And apparently the rumours are true. Lord Dracula is in his study. If you are who you claim to be, then you can prove so by leading the way.”

The man stepped aside. With a gulp, Alucard stepped foot inside the castle. Sypha and Trevor stuck close by, not wanting to be left alone with the frightening creature. As Alucard cautiously stepped past the man, his nostrils were overwhelmed by an unusual smell, which he eventually realised with horror was the stench of death. The man watched them from a distance, smirking as he observed.

“Alucard, what was that?” hissed Trevor.

“That’s no ordinary creature,” whispered Sypha fearfully.

“I’m sorry,” Alucard whispered back, his voice shaking. “I… I truly believed that the rumours were false, that there was no way that my father would create such creatures… but don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll be able to talk him out of it.”

“Ahem.”

The three jumped as the man, who was much closer than he had been before, let out a dry cough. Alucard hastily ascended the stairs, Trevor and Sypha mere steps behind him. Only when he reached the corridor with his father’s study did he come to a stop, afraid to proceed. The nerves were shared: Trevor let out a gulp and Sypha grabbed his arm and clenched hard. They stared ahead, the dark corridor in front of them lit up by flickering light coming from the open door.

“Hector, is that you? How is the army coming along?”

Dracula’s deep voice echoed around them, as though he was speaking from several places in the castle at once. Hector, the man who’d been following them, pushed past and stood in the doorway.

“I’ve created the creatures as you have instructed, my lord. At this pace, the army should be ready in a few months. However, that is not why I disturb you. You have guests.”

“Guests?” repeated Dracula in disbelief. They could hear the sound of a chair scraping across the stone floor. Deciding he could remain hidden no longer, Alucard stepped into the light of the study, Trevor and Sypha close behind him. Unseen to him, Hector bowed and left them. Dracula, who had just stood up from the chair by the fire, seemed so surprised by the presence of Alucard that he seemingly didn’t notice the others. For several seconds, Alucard just stood frozen to the spot. He’d imagined that he’d either have to deal with the painful news that something had happened to his father, or that there had just been a misunderstanding and he’d leap into his arms. The reality of the situation was far from what he’d expected.

“I… I can’t believe you’re actually creating such an army…” croaked Alucard eventually, unable to even look at his father. Dracula’s expression darkened.

“Humanity started this war. And I will continue it... in the name of your mother.”

With that, Dracula turned away, his eyes reflecting the dancing flames in the fireplace. Alucard stared at his back, unable to process what was being said. Not only was his father admitting to creating an army to declare war on humanity, it was the first time that Alucard had heard of his mother’s death from him. After a deep breath, Alucard wiped his wet cheeks with his sleeve and stepped forward.

“No,” he stated, his shaking voice barely above a whisper. “I will put an end to this war. In the name of my mother.”

Everyone jumped at the sound of shattering glass as Dracula violently flung a wine glass that had been sitting on a nearby table into the fire. He spun around, his eyes red with fury.

“No?” the thundered. “My son, you do not understand the horrors that the humans are capable of! You have lived little over a decade, you have yet to see just how much- ugh!”

Without warning, there was a flash of silver light as Alucard’s sword shot across the room, slashing Dracula’s cheek. He snarled as his claw-like fingers, wiped away the blood. But to Alucard's surprise, his father's face suddenly twisted into a grin.

“You intend to fight me?” he questioned, sounding amused. “You intend to fight me and use the very skills I taught you against me?”

Alucard stepped forward, his golden eyes meeting his father’s red ones. Regardless of how he felt, there was no denying that he projected a much more confident image compared to before.

“I won’t let you slaughter innocent people,” he insisted, raising his hand to catch the sword as it flew back towards him. “And I won’t let you hurt my friends.”

“Friends?” repeated Dracula incredulously. “What, the only remaining member of a family of failed vampire hunters and a little girl too afraid to speak?”

Behind Alucard, Trevor awkwardly shuffled, clearly unnerved by the fact that he hadn’t gone unnoticed. Beside him, Sypha raised her hands in front of herself, her expression indicating that she was deep in thought. Alucard readied his sword and darted forward at such a speed that he looked like a blur. However, he wasn’t fast enough as Dracula managed to catch the tip of the sword between his fingertips. He raised his other hand and lashed out, hitting Alucard with such force that he flew across the room. Alucard collided with a bookshelf with a sickening crash, sending dozens of books tumbling to the floor.

“Alucard!” Sypha cried out. Trevor stepped forward, looking as though he was ready to fight. However, his entire body froze as he realised that Dracula was looking directly at him, rooting him to the spot with fear. Meanwhile, Alucard had managed to get to his feet. He shook his head a few times before rushing forward once more, his fist raised. However, Dracula easily blocked his attack before striking again and slicing Alucard's torso with his sharp nails, sending blood splattering as far as the ceiling. Alucard let out a cry before sinking to his knees, his entire body trembling and breathing ragged.

“Trevor, help Alucard up!” yelled Sypha, rushing forwards as Dracula took a step towards his son. With great concentration, she conjured up a powerful curtain of fire, shielding herself and her friends from Dracula, who flinched backwards. Trevor, who’d sneakily picked up the sword and had raised it with shaking hands, seemed relieved that he didn’t have to use it. He dashed over to Alucard and helped him onto his back, struggling to keep his hold on the sword at the same time. Just as he felt it slip through his fingers, the sword suddenly rose into the air beside him: although injured, Alucard was doing his best to protect his friends.

“Let’s get out of here!” roared Trevor. As fast as he could, he scurried from the room, Sypha following closely behind with her back to him as she shielded them with fire. It was only when she glanced backwards and saw that Trevor had reached the entranceway did she allow her concentration to falter. As the flames disappeared, she spun around and sprinted towards her friends.

“Trevor, can you keep carrying Alucard?” she panted as she burst through the entranceway. “I didn’t hear any footsteps, but I’m sure Dracula could easily catch up with us. If you carry Alucard, then my hands will be free to cast spells-"

Clatter. Without warning, the sword that had been levitating toppled to the ground. Concerned, Trevor knelt down and gently laid Alucard on the ground to check on him. Alucard’s usually pale face was as white as a ghost, a thin layer of sweat clinging to it. His face was twisted with pain, his eyes firmly shut.

“Alucard, can you hear me?” asked Sypha, unable to hide the fear and concern in her voice. Alucard managed to nod slightly, but it seemed like he was in too much pain to talk. Beside her, Trevor suddenly stood up and began walking.

“Trevor, where are you-?”

“The broom,” responded Trevor, hurrying back over with the broom that Alucard had left outside earlier. “Dracula could appear any minute and I don’t think we’d be able to outrun him even under normal circumstances. Besides, we need to get help for Alucard as fast as possible. I’ll control the broom, Alucard will hold onto me, and you’ll hold onto him. Keep an eye on him, Sypha, I’m afraid he’ll fall off. I’ll bring us back to the circle, you get us to Hogsmeade.”

Sypha seemed somewhat reluctant, but she quickly helped Alucard onto the broom as there didn’t seem to be a better way. Before taking off, Trevor reached down to retrieve Alucard’s sword and tucked it into the sheath, giving Alucard an encouraging pat on the arm as he did so. Then, making sure that he could still feel Alucard’s weak grasp around his waist, he kicked off from the ground, taking care not to fly too high in case they fell. At first, they lurched uncomfortably forwards, almost causing the three of them to fall off as everyone’s body weight pushed against Trevor. However, Trevor managed to regain control and quickly got the hang of flying with two others, getting them back to the stone circle within minutes.

As soon as they landed, Sypha wasted no time. Without even checking the book tucked under her robes, she began chanting the incantation. And like before, the scenery around them changed suddenly. Once again, they were back in the clearing, the cool air of Hogsmeade filling their nostrils.

“Trevor, your back is covered with blood!” gasped Sypha. Trevor tried to take a look himself but froze once he spotted the splatters of blood all down the front of Sypha’s robes. They exchanged a look of horror before turning to face Alucard, who was lying motionless in the grass.

“Alucard!” yelled Trevor, as the two rushed over to him. As Trevor continued calling out to him and trying to wake him, Sypha drew on her knowledge of magic. With a flick of her wand, Sypha tore through the front of his cloak and robes in order to access the damage. She pulled the blood-stained wet and sticky material of his robes away from his skin and cried out in shock. A huge gash covered Alucard’s torso, stretching from his shoulder to his hip. Something white caught her eye. It took her a second to realise that the cut was so deep that Alucard’s rib cage was exposed. Blood continued pouring from the entirety of wound.

Feeling woozy, Sypha stepped back, flicking her wand once more and tearing off the sleeve of her robes. She handed the material to Trevor, placing her hands on his and pressing them to the wound. Her eyes fell on Alucard’s unmoving face, the gravity of the situation hitting her. She began to run, tearing through the fields towards civilisation, her robes stained with her friend’s blood.

“Somebody, please help us!” she screamed.


	12. The Stone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the big delay. I'm moving across the world next month, and I've been kind of busy. This work requires a lot of thought (I want to try make it seem as accurate as possible, considering it's set so long ago that even the Ministry of Magic hasn't been established yet!) But rest assured, I have this well planned out, and will finish it. I'm guessing that there will be sixteen chapters, but that could change a bit. Anyway, enjoy!

Trevor and Sypha sat at the edge of a hospital wing bed, avoiding each other’s gaze as they listened intently to the voices beyond the curtain. Due to Sypha’s quick thinking, they managed to find a Hogsmeade local who had helped them to bring Alucard back to the castle. As Madam Poppy started tending to him, the two of them briefly explained what had happened to the Headmistress. They’d reached a silent agreement that the importance of Alucard’s wellbeing far outweighed that of covering up that they had broken several school rules. Once they’d finished, Professor Macha Ní Rioghain just nodded and swiftly left to join Madam Poppy, giving no indication of what she intended to do with them.

“I’ve managed to stop the bleeding for now, Macha, but the keeps reopening itself,” came the concerned voice of Madam Poppy. “If this wound truly was inflicted by the boy’s father, then it’s may be far beyond what I can treat. Perhaps he would be better off if we brought him to London.”

“I’ve been pondering that myself,” responded the Headmistress. “Although I think it’d be best if we waited for Professor Snark to prepare the Essence of Dittany first. We should do our best to stabilise him before we move him anywhere.”

Sypha and Trevor listened intently, shuffling uncomfortably. They gave each other a look, silently communicating that the situation did seem quite bleak. But as Sypha's eyes fell, Trevor cleared his throat and spoke.

“We need to put him in a coffin.”

Sypha’s jaw dropped as Trevor stood up from the bed and called out to the teachers. The two of them fell silent for a moment, before the curtain was ripped open.

“Mister Belmont, that’s… that’s such a morbid thing to say!” exclaimed Madam Poppy, her eyes wide. But Trevor just shook his head.

“Not like that,” he explained hastily. “Trust me, I come from a family of vampire hunters. Vampires are able to heal much faster if they are in a coffin. I’ve read all about this, although the context was a little different.”

“What do you mean?” asked Sypha, jumping up from the end of the bed to move closer to Alucard’s unmoving figure.

“Ah, well in the book suggested waiting until an injured vampire is resting in a coffin before sneaking up and driving a stake through their heart,” muttered Trevor darkly. “But that’s not the point. Alucard may only be a half vampire, but we may as well try…”

Madam Poppy looked ready to protest, but she bit her tongue as the Headmistress nodded. The three of them watched as Professor Macha Ní Rioghain conjured a full-sized mahogany coffin from thin air with a wave of her wand. Sypha in particular was very impressed.

“Will we learn to create full objects like that anytime soon?” she asked enthusiastically, The Headmistress chuckled in response.

“I’m afraid not, Miss Belnades. I did not create this coffin now, I merely just summoned it from somewhere in the castle. After conducting extensive research into vampires, I concluded that it would be best to have one ready in case a situation where Mr Tepes was in need of one ever arose.”

With that, she turned her back on the two in order to help Madam Poppy transfer Alucard into the coffin. On the count of three, the two of them lifted him and gently placed him inside, his long blonde hair falling over his still face, his arms falling limply beside his completely bandaged torso. Sypha reached forward and gently brushed his hair from his face, letting out a sad sigh as she did so.

“I know this is supposed to help, but it really looks like he’s… dead,” she whispered. Madam Poppy placed a supportive hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t worry, Miss Belnades,” she said reassuringly. “Once the Essence of Dittany is ready, he’ll improve in no time. And if that doesn’t work, we’ll take him to the Healers in London. They’ve successfully dealt with cases far worse than this.”

“Yes, there is no doubt in my mind that Mister Tepes will be fine,” assured Professor Macha Ní Rioghain. “He just needs time to recover. We should let him rest. However, in the meantime, there are a few questions I’d like to ask you.”

Both Trevor and Sypha froze. They glanced at each other, fear in their eyes as they imagined the worst. But the Headmistress didn’t seem angry. In fact, she seemed rather concerned.

“I understand what happened tonight between yourselves and Mr Tepes father,” she continued, frowning slightly. “However, you never elaborated on how you managed to get to Wallachia and back in one evening. Would you care to explain?”

With little other choice, Sypha decided to come clean. She explained how Alucard had mentioned Ancient Celtic Magic, and how she’d read extensively on the topic by borrowing books from the restricted section of the library. The Headmistress listened in silence, occasionally nodding her head. It was only when Sypha mentioned activating the circle did her eyebrows raise.

“You mean to tell me that you operated the stone circle yourself?” questioned Professor Macha Ní Rioghain in disbelief. When Sypha nodded, she let out a low whistle. “While I can’t hide the fact that I am impressed that you managed to carry out such magic by yourself, Miss Belnades, I must express my concern, The Wizard’s Council banned the use of such magic several years ago. If they discovered that you used it, it could cause quite a bit of trouble…”

“Don’t worry, I won’t mention it to anyone,” insisted Sypha. Professor Macha Ní Rioghain smiled. Madam Poppy, who had been busying herself with a variety of herbs and potions, exited the hospital wing. Once she was gone, Trevor began to speak.

“Professor, there’s something I’d like to ask you,” muttered Trevor timidly. Professor Macha Ní Rioghain turned her attention to him. “I was just wondering… would it be ok if Alucard and I were to stay in the castle during Christmas? And the summer holidays too? It’s just… well, it’s not like I have anywhere to return to anyway. And, as for Alucard… after seeing what happened tonight, I don’t think it’s safe for him to go back there…”

Professor Macha Ní Rioghain’s expression softened. She lowered her eyes and sighed.

“Don’t worry, Mr Belmont. That idea has crossed my mind too. I guess there are no two ways about it: I’m going to have to visit Count Dracula myself. I need to access the situation with my own eyes. Besides, I think I need to have a little chat with him. While I truly believe that there is little I can do, I think it is at least worth a shot. Perhaps I can help him to see that-"

“Don’t.”

Everyone jumped at the sound of another voice. They spun around to find Alucard sitting up in the coffin.

“Mister Tepes, you need to rest-"

“There’s no point in trying to talk sense into my father,” mumbled Alucard weakly. “There’s nothing you can say that will stop him.”

“Perhaps,” agreed Professor Macha Ní Rioghain, looking deep in thought. “But there is someone I know of who he may listen to. I just need to send an owl… in the meantime, Mister Tepes, please rest. You’ve been through a terrible ordeal.”

With that, Professor Macha Ní Rioghain left the hospital wing, leaving Trevor and Sypha alone with Alucard. Alucard didn’t need telling twice: his eyes closed, he lay his head back down on the velvet interior of the coffin. Sypha and Trevor approached him cautiously. After about a minute, Sypha suddenly drew her wand. There was a tiny flash of light, and a small cut appeared on her wrist.

“Sypha, what-?” began Trevor, but he cut off as Sypha lowered her wrist to Alucard’s lips.

“Drink,” whispered Sypha. “I know it’ll help you get better. And there’s no-one else around, so you don’t have to worry about what others think. Go on.”

“I’ve caused you enough trouble already,” began Alucard. However, he froze at the scent of blood. He blinked his exhausted eyes a few times before obediently drinking from his friend. After about a minute, he pulled his lips away. But as soon as he did, Trevor pulled up his sleeve.

“Sypha, I’ll need help with the spell,” said Trevor, sounding determined. “But I want to help Alucard too.”

No matter how many times Alucard tried to turn down his offer, Trevor refused to listen. Eventually, Alucard reluctantly agreed, and after a few minutes, he was resting again, a slight tinge of colour returning to his pale face.

“Trevor, can you do me a favour?” muttered Alucard, his voice brimming with exhaustion. “Can you take care of Untitled Swan and Squeaks for me? I’m sure you could ask a teacher to bring you into the Slytherin common room..."

“Pfft, I’ve been in there so many times with you that I know the password, Alucard,” snorted Trevor. “Relax, I can take care of your pets for you.”

“I really appreciate-"

Alucard cut off as they heard a loud gasp. Madam Poppy had just returned, the Essence of Dittany in her hands. She rushed over to Alucard.

“Mister Tepes, you’re awake!” she exclaimed. “How are you feeling? Are you in pain? I’m going to change the bandages and apply the Essence of Dittany. Hopefully that will help your wound seal up in no time…”

Sypha and Trevor didn’t need telling twice: as soon as they stepped backwards, the curtains surrounding Alucard’s coffin swiftly closed. Relieved that their friend was on the path to recovery, they bid each other goodnight and headed to bed. It had been a long day for them too after all.

*

Over the next few days, Trevor and Sypha spent almost all of their free time with Alucard in the hospital wing. During the times that he was asleep, they silently sat by his side. And when he was awake, they told them about their days, insisting that he wasn’t missing much. One afternoon, they were happily munching through the chocolate frogs that Oisín had brought for them when they were joined by Professor Einskis, the head of Slytherin house.

“Mister Tepes!” he exclaimed in a booming voice as he entered the hospital wing. “I’ve heard the rumours and am delighted to see that you survived. _Attacked in the Forbidden Forest…_ well, there are rules against wandering in there for a reason. Usually I’d punish students for such a blatant disregard for the rules, but you appear to have suffered enough…”

Professor Einskis gradually drew closer to Alucard, not even trying to hide the fact that he was eyeing up the covered wound on his torso. It still opened from time to time, but with a combination of the Essence of Dittany as well as healing potions, Alucard’s condition had gradually improved. He sat up in his coffin and stared directly at Professor Einskis with narrowed eyes. This seemed to make him a little uncomfortable, as he stopped suddenly in his tracks.

“Ah, with a wound like that, it’d have to be something like a werewolf that caused it,” chucked Professor Einskis. “The forest is rumoured to be bursting with barbaric beasts.”

“How could it have been a werewolf, Professor?” asked Alucard coldly. “There wasn’t a full moon that night.”

“…Right you are, boy,” laughed Professor Einskis awkwardly. He glanced around, only to discover that Sypha and Trevor were also glaring at him. “Well, the reason I came here was to let you know that I will send detailed letter explaining this situation to your mothe- I beg your pardon, I mean your fathe- I’ll… I’ll send a letter to… the teachers, explaining that you’ll be absent for a while...”

Professor Einskis muttered the last sentence at lightning speed, his face reddening as he realised what he’d gotten himself into. He gave the trio an over the top, false cheerful wave before practically sprinting out into the corridor.

“Idiot,” laughed Trevor, after Professor Einskis was out of earshot. “He couldn’t have put his foot further in it if he tried. Chocolate frog, Alucard? We’ve only got two left though.”

“Pity he didn’t think of bringing more,” said Sypha through a mouthful of chocolate. Trevor spun around and let out an indignant shout.

“Sypha!” he yelled. “That was supposed to be my chocolate frog! I only offered the other one to Alucard because I assumed the other one was mine!"

“Relax,” laughed Alucard. He snapped the legs off his frog, instantly causing it to fall still, before passing them to Trevor. “Look, you can share this one with me. I doubt Madam Poppy would be too happy if she knew just how much chocolate I’ve eaten today.”

“Well, I hope you get more visitors who bring you more sweets,” sulked Trevor, biting through one of the frog’s legs.

“That can be arranged.”

The three spun around to find that they’d be joined by an unfamiliar figure: a brown-haired man who sported a long beard and dazzling purple robes. He tipped his hat and winked as the trio stared back in surprise. Professor Macha Ní Rioghain was following behind him, a small smile on her face.

“Of course, the urgent matter of the lack of sweets is something that will have to be pushed aside temporarily, I’m afraid,” beamed the man, marching over to Alucard to take a closer look. “Remarkable… but alas, there are more pressing matters at hand, Mister Tepes, as I’m sure you’re aware! But do not fret! I can be very convincing, you know. I’m sure your father-"

“My father won’t listen to anyone,” cut across Alucard bleakly. The man gave a chuckle, his eyes sparkling.

“Oh, I think he will,” beamed the man. “I was his favourite student after all. He must have liked me a lot, since he did share the secret to the Elixir of Life with me.”

“The Elixer of…” began Sypha, before letting out a gasp. She pointed at the forgotten chocolate frog card on Alucard’s bedside table. Alucard’s eyes wandered over to the card, and all of a sudden, he realised that the man wasn’t a complete stranger as he initially assumed.

“Figured it out, have you?” smiled the man. “I’d expect no less of the son of Dracula! My name is Nicolas, Nicolas Flamel. I was a student of your father’s. And I think I can help you.”


End file.
